want to want His good and perfect will to be done, even if we have to die in
the process. We want to do whatever He asks of us--to be perfect for Him, to spend ourselves for Him.
Obviously, nothing is wrong at all with this passion; however, it can
occasionally cause some problems, because we, being human, often try to
survive on our own willpower. We have the tendency to try to make things
happen in our own strength. So saying, Christians can live in extreme guilt
if we feel we don't measure up to "the divine standards" of God.
The scary realization that we have issues (issues that might even include
keeping God at a distance), can be difficult for well-meaning Christians to
live with. But here's the rub: The walls we've unconsciously, or
consciously, built to protect ourselves from injury, do not make God mad at
us. He is not disgusted or disappointed by the walls we've thrown up or by
the signs posted to keep Him out. Our boundaries do not condemn us. We will
live trembling, terrified, unproductive lives if we believe that our
salvation rests in our strength instead of God's. This is why trusting
Jesus' love, and free grace-full salvation, is so important--because it
sincerely is a matter of trust, even when we feel like all is lost. Is He
Who He says He is? This is the question of our existence.
Understanding the Father's Heart
It is hard for human beings in a fallen world to comprehend the Father's
heart--the true-blue, romantic, passionate, fatherly, brotherly, motherly
love of God. He completely respects us in all regards, including our walls.
This next statement flies in the face of traditional Christian teaching,
but--it's okay to have boundaries with God. He wants what is real from us.
He doesn't want lip service. He is willing to wait for as long as it takes,
in order to have our hearts. If all we can give Him right now is a glance
from across the room, then He'll take that glance and patiently wait for the
rest. If all we can give Him is a mere sliver of our true self, He'll take
that piece, no matter its size . . . And patiently, lovingly, wait for the
rest.
To quote a man long remembered for his romantic nature, "Love is not love
which alters when it alteration finds" (Shakespeare, Sonnet 116). Do you
know--sincerely know in the depths of your heart, how true this is of your
Father? Your walls don't send Him on a pity party. Your wrong choices don't
scare Him away. Whatever you're going through right now, He knows. He
understands it even more than you do, so don't think that what you're
dealing with might make Him angry at you. Don't be afraid of making
mistakes. Don't worry about your runaway emotions. Don't worry about the
things that scare you in the deepest parts of your soul. Don't be afraid of
God. There is nothing in Him to condemn you. He knows, and He loves, and He fights for you more than you could imagine.
Streams Ministries International
www.streamsministries.com
