Uncomfortable

The idea, the possibility,
that God is as kind, loving, and gracious as Jesus
- as nice as it sounds -
is a disconcerting one.

The idea of an oppressive God is so much more...
familiar
even comfortable
in a lot of ways.

If you can position yourself on the ‘right side’
of an oppressive God, well...
Life becomes a lot more certain. 

You - and people like you -
as long as you keep doing what you’re doing
(you know, all the ‘right’ things)
are in
and ‘they’
(you know, those people who do the wrong things)
are ‘out’. 

When this oppressive God turns on you
(which will inevitably happen)
you are left with two options...

Run away from this God and pretend God doesn’t exist
or try like hell to get right with this God
(which usually means scapegoating the ‘bad people’
or blaming yourself until the dust settles).

But what if God’s nature was truly like Jesus?
What if God embraces you in love when you’re blaming yourself?
What if God goes straight to the ones you scapegoat -
the ones you despise -
not with punishment or wrath
but with self-sacrificial love?

What a radical, uncomfortable idea of God,
this Jesus is.