A Story of Love
God tenderly speaks to me, and as I get to know him better, I see my sin more. Is he scolding or punishing me? No. This is part of the joy in my wild, mysterious adventure of loving the Living God of the Bible. God blesses me by showing me more of my sin.
Some critics would judge God for revealing more of my sins when I took the time to get closer to him. The critics would say God is taking advantage of me in my vulnerable position of loving him so much. They would say he is forcing me to see my flaws or even being picky and looking for flaws that don’t exist. Those critics are wrong and don’t see God’s heart. The critics don’t see that God has a loving Father’s heart. I have many, many flaws, far more than the ones God tells me about each day. God reveals far less flaws than I have, because he knows I could not handle seeing all of them at once. I could not fix all of them at once, and I would become ashamed and lethargic.
God’s critics see him as a sneaky judge who takes a gal like me, who loves him dearly, and them makes demands of her, because she is so in love with him. These critics miss God’s genuine concern for me, as well as my many sins. The world celebrates many sins (greed, pride, lust, selfishness and worse.) As such, the world chafes at God, because he calls these actions sin. Then the world chafes at a God who would correct a woman who is crazy about him. The critics would call this abuse of a loved one, whether they say it is child abuse (since my love for the Heavenly Father is childlike at times), or spousal abuse (since Jesus is my heavenly husband) or some other abuse.
Our world has so devalued true love and honesty that many don’t even consider an honest relationship desirable anymore. These people say couples should not challenge each other nor request they grow and improve their character. It would be wrong to demand a spouse deny her personality, but asking a spouse to work on actual character flaws (unfair anger, envy, selfishness, greed, etc.) is a good and desirable goal. But our world has so lowered the standard for loving relationships that many say, “Don’t ask anything of me,” while they take and take from that person and call it love. But I look at how much God has already forgiven me and I just love him more (Luke7:47 “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.) Those who deny their sin cannot be forgiven of it, and they love less, while I (forgiven so much) love so much, that I want to hear more and more of God’s love but also his corrections.
Too many people demand that no one (neither a spouse, nor God) calls them out on their sin. The very word, “sin” disgusts ungodly people. So they are furious when they learn that while I’m growing closer to God, he is pointing out more of my sins. These critics despise God even more when they hear this.
But what do I say of God showing me more sins, the closer I get to him, the more I fall in love with him? I love the correction, and I can compare it to many aspects of life. When knitting, I once missed a flaw. Then hours later, I saw it and had to unravel much of my work. Furthermore, a blood test revealed I was deficient in a nutrient, and I changed my diet to get more of the nutrient I had neglected. I got hurt, and a physical therapist showed me I was lifting my heavy weight with the wrong posture. He corrected me, and my body healed. Now I do not get hurt doing that heavy lifting (which is not very heavy, since my muscles are spindly.)
I could go on and on with my list, but I hope I’ve shown my critics a pattern. My sin actually hurts me, and not just God. My sin hurts others too, such as my daughters if I give in to a complaining attitude or anger when I’m tried. God wants to protect me and help me, just like medical staff do when they see my body’s flaws. God has earned the right to correct me, because he has a 100% rating. He has never mistaken my innate personality for a sin. He delights in the “me” he created me to be. He only corrects weaknesses my personally may lean into. For example, I am a warm-hearted person, but sometimes my caring heart opens too wide, and I have foolishly trusted untrustworthy people who deceived me. God appreciates my compassion, but demands that I be as “wise as a serpent, but gentle as a dove,” (Matt. 10:16.)
God’s corrections are always to protect me and help me become the best, truest me, I can be. God loves me by disciplining me (Deut. 8:5 “Think of it, as a parent disciplines a child, so the Lord disciplines you for your good.”)
Has God disciplined you, and you eventually realized he did it to love and protect you? Please share your stories. I love to hear from my readers. And I pray we’ve blessed you with this week’s brief post!