I believe in God. I don’t mean in the sense that I believe he exists. I do, but I'm talking about a different belief. I believe in God the way I believe in my friends. I believe he’s happy to take my call, that he looks forward to spending time with me. That he is interested in what I have to say. That he’s anxious to listen and eager to help. That if I need to move, he’ll bring the truck.
I believe in God the way that I believe in my employer. I believe that he has a purpose for me and that he supplies me with the means to accomplish that purpose. I believe that he has created a job perfectly suited to my interests and abilities and that he’s there to coach, mentor and expand my abilities, responsibilities, and job satisfaction.
I believe in God the way I believe in my parents. I believe that he sees through all the errors in judgement, mistakes, misdeeds, ignorance, arrogance, rebellion, and nonsense to see the good in me. I believe that, despite failure after failure, he still has confidence in me. That no matter how many times I turn away he’s watching and waiting with open arms, anxiously expecting me to turn to him. I believe that every time I turn to him he receives me as a perfect child despite my extreme imperfection.
I believe in God the way I believe in my country. I believe that God seeks justice and protects the innocent. That he implements laws to protect me, not him. That he places wise and honest authorities over me for the benefit of me and everyone else.
I believe in God the way I believe in my favorite restaurant. I believe that God prepares good things for me and wants me to enjoy my food. I believe that God takes pleasure in serving me, and that he’ll always be there with a wholesome and appetizing meal.
I believe in God the way I believe in my City. I believe that living in community with God protects me from countless problems of which I’ll never be aware. That God likes, builds, and wants a community where people are more inclined to help than to harm. That he wants community identity, purpose and good.
I believe that any time I see any of these good things anywhere or in anyone I’m seeing reflections of God. Whether I’m eating with friends, working on a project, attending a concert, exploring an art show, or helping a drug addict in a homeless shelter, the good that is there is God.
Do I believe that God exists? Certainly, but more importantly I believe IN God.
UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO COMMENT BY ANONYMOUS:
Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for your response. You’re right.
My life is soft and extremely comfortable. I have been born and raised in America, and despite any illusions I might have to the contrary, it is very hard for me to understand the reality of a boy soldier or a child sex slave. Truth be known, I’ve often wondered - if I had to do something like carry my dying child across a Somali desert in search of food and water that might not arrive in time - would I still be so arrogantly sure of my middle class American God? When I look to the power of my own faith, my usual answer is: probably not.
Furthermore, my arrogance and self-importance exceeds your suspicions. I’ve often thought and even confided to those closest to me that my life is pretty heavenly and that, given the opportunity to continue my current status forever, I would likely choose it over any anticipated heavenly glory. I lay in my bed at night and occasionally think of the child sex slave, the boy soldier, the Somalian mother watching her infant die at her dry breast, the countless orphans in AIDS-infected nations, those in my own community who are suffering quiet horrors at the hands of cruel, monstrous parents or spouses.
I think of the millions of children who have never been loved, who have never had any opportunity to experience any of the good that I believe is God, and I wonder, How can they ever come to know God? I pray, much too briefly, for them, then I fall asleep in my climate-controlled home, on my ridiculously comfortable bed, and I continue my comfortable life.
These realizations about myself have made me belief that one thing you said is probably not true; I don’t think I’m a “very nice man”. If nice is measured by the things that one might think it should be - like self-sacrifice and consideration for others, or by the measures that Christ used - like “treat others as you would want to be treated” and placing the needs of others before my own, then I’m truly not nice at all. If I measure myself only against the rest of depraved humanity, then I guess I’m about average, but that’s not a very high standard, is it?
But I owe a further apology because my words have led you to false conclusions. Neither my church, my job nor my employer are perfect. My friends, while wonderful, are not always there at my whim. In my country the laws are often meted out unfairly, and the innocent sometimes suffer horribly. The businesses and people in my city are sometimes more concerned about their profit than my welfare, and even my parents have occasionally disappointed me.
So when I say “I believe,” I’m not talking about a strict reality but rather a hope, an ambition, a vision for how it could be. The New Testament calls faith the substance of thinks hoped for, the evidence of things unseen; this is the belief to which I refer. I do see the good things I referred to in the article sometimes, and when I see them, I believe I’m seeing God’s plan for how it can be for all humanity, how it will one day be for all humanity, and for how he will ultimately transform even my hard and selfish heart.
In the meantime, he’s transforming me a little at a time, and as he does, my heart for the boy soldier, the child sex slave, and the mother of the dying infant is growing. As the heart of God grows in me I sometimes sleep a little less soundly in my much too comfortable bed, and I’m moved a bit more toward changing the world into the image of God.
You clearly have a heart for the oppressed that I believe comes from God. I believe that God has used you to check my reality, and I thank you.
Lastly, I am a flawed and selfish man, and though any attempt I make to describe my God will portray him as small, I’m compelled to share him anyway. However small my understanding of God may be, I do believe that he has a purpose for me and for you and that he equips us to accomplish that purpose. I believe that purpose is wrapped up in the prayer “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” I would ask you to consider, as your words have made me consider, What am I doing to accomplish that purpose?
Thank you for your response. You’re right.
My life is soft and extremely comfortable. I have been born and raised in America, and despite any illusions I might have to the contrary, it is very hard for me to understand the reality of a boy soldier or a child sex slave. Truth be known, I’ve often wondered - if I had to do something like carry my dying child across a Somali desert in search of food and water that might not arrive in time - would I still be so arrogantly sure of my middle class American God? When I look to the power of my own faith, my usual answer is: probably not.
Furthermore, my arrogance and self-importance exceeds your suspicions. I’ve often thought and even confided to those closest to me that my life is pretty heavenly and that, given the opportunity to continue my current status forever, I would likely choose it over any anticipated heavenly glory. I lay in my bed at night and occasionally think of the child sex slave, the boy soldier, the Somalian mother watching her infant die at her dry breast, the countless orphans in AIDS-infected nations, those in my own community who are suffering quiet horrors at the hands of cruel, monstrous parents or spouses.
I think of the millions of children who have never been loved, who have never had any opportunity to experience any of the good that I believe is God, and I wonder, How can they ever come to know God? I pray, much too briefly, for them, then I fall asleep in my climate-controlled home, on my ridiculously comfortable bed, and I continue my comfortable life.
These realizations about myself have made me belief that one thing you said is probably not true; I don’t think I’m a “very nice man”. If nice is measured by the things that one might think it should be - like self-sacrifice and consideration for others, or by the measures that Christ used - like “treat others as you would want to be treated” and placing the needs of others before my own, then I’m truly not nice at all. If I measure myself only against the rest of depraved humanity, then I guess I’m about average, but that’s not a very high standard, is it?
But I owe a further apology because my words have led you to false conclusions. Neither my church, my job nor my employer are perfect. My friends, while wonderful, are not always there at my whim. In my country the laws are often meted out unfairly, and the innocent sometimes suffer horribly. The businesses and people in my city are sometimes more concerned about their profit than my welfare, and even my parents have occasionally disappointed me.
So when I say “I believe,” I’m not talking about a strict reality but rather a hope, an ambition, a vision for how it could be. The New Testament calls faith the substance of thinks hoped for, the evidence of things unseen; this is the belief to which I refer. I do see the good things I referred to in the article sometimes, and when I see them, I believe I’m seeing God’s plan for how it can be for all humanity, how it will one day be for all humanity, and for how he will ultimately transform even my hard and selfish heart.
In the meantime, he’s transforming me a little at a time, and as he does, my heart for the boy soldier, the child sex slave, and the mother of the dying infant is growing. As the heart of God grows in me I sometimes sleep a little less soundly in my much too comfortable bed, and I’m moved a bit more toward changing the world into the image of God.
You clearly have a heart for the oppressed that I believe comes from God. I believe that God has used you to check my reality, and I thank you.
Lastly, I am a flawed and selfish man, and though any attempt I make to describe my God will portray him as small, I’m compelled to share him anyway. However small my understanding of God may be, I do believe that he has a purpose for me and for you and that he equips us to accomplish that purpose. I believe that purpose is wrapped up in the prayer “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” I would ask you to consider, as your words have made me consider, What am I doing to accomplish that purpose?
John Monday
Dear Mr. Monday,
ReplyDeleteI am sure you are a very nice man and mean well; but your blog made me incredibly insanely furious!
Yipee for you. Your God sounds so...middle class!! Perhaps it is just because you live in America that you're so special to God-
"God created a job perfectly suited to you"??? Really? What do you say to someone who doesn't HAVE a job? God couldn't find one suited to you...you have no talents God can use...you are not as special as me...oh wait...i know the argument "free will"...i have to choose to look for a job, choose to let God look for the job...choose the window instead of the door...you can't have it both ways Mr. Monday...either God gave you and everyone else the perfect job...or He plays favorite...or God has little to do with jobs!! Perhaps if you lived in Somalia your perfect job is to walk across the desert carrying your dying child to reach food and water in time...perhaps your perfect job is being a child sex slave...perhaps your perfect job is sewing 60 garments an hour for $5 a day in India! The presumptuous arrogance!!
You believe that your God is like Olive Garden? Giving you good things? Maybe God is partial to SDA...they get the $18.34 they need in the nick of time to go to an SDA school...what about the mom whose son is recruited as a boy soldier...or the woman ganged raped and mutilated...what about the child praying release from a sexual predator...good things...really? "God protects the innocent"...really?
I noticed on your website that your church has some ministries...good. They house the homeless...tell me do you have the same 8 people volunteer over and over...do you have as many people volunteer for the homeless as you had that attended the Barn party? No doubt your church or people from your church have mission trips...chance to travel to exotic lands, hug a few orphans and photos ops... tell me have any of your church members adopted a black middle school child from Orlando? That's real sacrifice!
I know your argument will be either "the great controversy" in which God is proving to the world He is love by showing how bad satan is (which seems to be a losing argument) or Free Will trumps everything, so that I am at the mercy of your free will! Something is very wrong with both arguments!!!
Mr. Monday, I am not as mad at God as you will be inclined to think...I am furious with His people who do so little and claim so much special-ness. I do not like your God...I want a God who gets furious over the injustices and creates in YOU a need to leave your pretty little world to comfort those in distress!! I do not want you to tell me how polite and thoughtful your little God is!
Dear Anon,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. My response was a bit longer than the forum allows, so it was posted as an addendum to the original article. I hope that your insights have helped me to communicate my intended meaning.
The world isn't fair. We all know this. Our lives in America are better than most of the world, this isn't a news flash. But pain and suffering in the world should in no way negate the joy and thanksgiving that we feel for the good things God has given us.(Matt 7:9-11) I have heard many people come back from missions and tell of how the local people had nothing,and yet had more joy than is seen in our lives of plenty. Our God has greater plans for the world than we should arogantly presume or claim to understand.(matt6;25-34) The fact is there is joy all over the world, because God is everywhere. There is pain and sorrow all over the world, because sin and death is everywhere. God is waiting,(matt 13;24-30) we shouldn't loose hope. God said he would set all things to right. We must refuse to see the world through short term lenses. Its hard for the world to believe what we are saying about Jesus when we can't speak to even other Christians with love and respect.(jn 13:35) Its hard to take a comment with so much sarcasim and sharp words seriously when someone lacks even the conviction to sign their name.
ReplyDeleteAs for the evil in the world its having its day, but its future is not bright (rev 14:14-20) Let us remeber God is King. He will do as he wills.
thanks
Doug Foley
Thank you, Mr. Monday, for your thoughtful and honest response. I apologize for my sarcastic and sharp words. You are right. We are all incredibly selfish. We are like the rich young ruler afraid to give ALL for God to use and follow Him. So we pretend to ourselves that "serving" (working for) Florida Hospital is our all...or bringing dinner one night every 3 weeks to the homeless is our all...or teaching Sabbath School is our all. We sing praises, our hands raised, our tithe given and our hearts untouched by the agony of the world. We just peek at the world occasionally and praise God we are not like those poor sinners.
ReplyDeleteI am just as bad as you, perhaps more so...I get paralyzed at the thought of so much to do and I am just one person. And I think, "a cup of water to the least of these"...shouldn't be too hard and yet it is the hardest thing in the world if you do not see the least of these in the midst of ALL our proclamations of what God is like.
Dear Anon,
ReplyDeleteIn September the Hospital Church is going to suspend regular services one Saturday in favor of serving the community. It’s a small thing and will probably not change the world, much. But its an opportunity to allow God to increase our heart for the least of these, to expose ourselves to the needs of the world, and to serve.
Last December we did this and more than 400 church attenders were moved a bit closer to God by serving over a dozen local ministries. I hope that God will continue to move the Hospital Church this September.
I’d be pleased and excited if you would consider joining us in our feeble attempts to serve.