You and Me (part III)

Falling in love is great. Being in love is incredible. Staying in love, well I haven’t quite figured that one out yet so any adjective placed here would flounder.

God’s love is everlasting. I am amazed each time I read the stories from the bible, especially those found in the Old Testament, where we see the people that God loved so much turn their backs on Him, yet His love for them never faltered.  And then we read of the inconceivable abuse that Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, suffered through; the beatings, being spat upon, then more beatings. Nevertheless because He loved so much He hung nailed to a cross until He died, for you and for me.

Can we even begin to understand the love of God? How can this indescribable love last and last? Well you may say,

“Jim, He is God.”, and you would be right.

 And I would reply, “Fill in your name, that is too easy.” Particularly when you consider the ones He bestows this love upon, you and me.

We use many “omni-“words to describe God, omnipotent, infinite in power, omnipresence, being everywhere and omniscience, knowing everything and everyone, including you and me. When you combine all this omni you have a God that knows what you were going to do before you did it. And yet He still loves you! Incredible! Certainly if I change the pronoun from you to me.

You see I know the darkest parts of myself, so does God. They are vile and ugly, tucked away in the darkest recesses of my mind, kept there in check…most of the time. I could not love someone with the same dark, abhorrent substance that hides inside me. And yet God does.

If we studied all the things, the behaviors and the conflict that mankind has portrayed against God for more than 4000 years the list would be exhaustive. In the book of Hosea, God describes the behavior of the Israelites as harlotry. They committed adultery, not only with small “g” gods, but among themselves without abandon. Hosea’s own wife, Gomer, slept in the beds of other men. If our spouse behaved as the Israelites did it would be grounds for divorce. A fracturing of love between man and woman would be certain and expected. Words would be exchanged that cannot be printed here. Emotions would be out of control, tears would flow almost without end. Our children and family members would be exposed to our pain; they would have their own to bear. Friends would divide, his and hers.

 Love would turn to hate.

God didn’t and doesn’t file for divorce. Oh He threw His hands up once before and we ended up with Noah on one damn big boat. If there is a fracturing of our relationship with God it is never Him causing the breach. If there is pain, His is greater than ours. He never hates.  If there are tears…

I don’t want to make God cry.