As we were driving through the night to get home on Saturday we drove by a neon sign put up to inform those passing by that we are recipients of heavenly love from a heavenly father. The trouble is the neon lit up only the 'v' in the word love so the sign read 'God v You'. Now, in legal parlance that 'v' stands for 'versus'.
And who hasn't felt like that. Who hasn't felt that the universe was conspiring to ruin every hope and dream you ever had? Who hasn't worried, when things were going well, when the shoe was going to drop? Who hasn't, in prayers, tried to bargain with a God who seemed to hold all the cards? So I get it. God v You indeed.
I chuckled when I saw the sign, even though something about it was a bit eerie. Then today we went over to the museum to see 'The 10 Commandments' which are here in Toronto for, as all the advertizements stated, 80 hours. We waited in the line up with my heart beating with real excitement. I knew it was just going to be a few bits of paper. I knew that. But it didn't matter. There was something powerful in just being there. Just being in the presence of those words.
I had joked that after years of being told that God would smite me because of my 'unnatural passion' that I'd be lucky if lightening didn't strike me as I entered the building. And, oddly, lightening did. I was in front of the tiny bits of paper and felt this tremendous desire to GET UP OUT OF MY WHEELCHAIR AND WALK ... sorry, don't know where that came from ... I felt this tremendous, and quite deep, desire to pray. The line up was long behind me, my chair took up a lot of space, even so, I laid my hand on the display case and said a brief prayer.
I prayed that in the case of 'God v Me' ... there would be clemency.
At times it does feel as though the deck is stacked. But keep in my mind Psalms 56:9. By the way that is so awesome that you were blessed to actually be in the presence of such a divine piece of paper. That is so cool.
ReplyDelete"Mercy triumphs over judgement," and that is a great blessing for all of us.
ReplyDeleteWait, so these ten commandments were on a scroll? In Hebrew? And they were really old? Cool!
ReplyDeleteAs long as the "God" in "God v. You" doesn't stand for Godzilla, we'll all be OK.
And who hasn't felt like that?
ReplyDelete...I'll bet the person who owns/maintains the sign was feeling that!
Clemency indeed, Dave! I, too, as a recently "come out", older guy, have wrestled with what the Big Guy thinks and, for a time, I ran and hid from Him. But, He met me half way and clearly let me know that He loves me no matter what, and I believe that. Who among us doesn't have some need for mercy? Sin is not rated on a scale of 1 to 10, homosexuality being for sure a TEN! They're all the same and all equally forgiven, I believe. So, rather than hiding from Him, I chose to run TO him and allow Him to love and accept me just the way I am. It's very liberating and peaceful; now I simply wait for the rest of the world to figure out that they don't hold the key to judgment and forgiveness, thank goodness! Loved your post!
ReplyDeletere: "get up from the wheelchair and walk"--ha! I love and appreciate your sense of humor, Dave.
ReplyDeleteMy son has Down syndrome and one day on a lark, I went through every book in the Bible and wrote down Ch3 vs 21. Here are two of my favorites:
ReplyDelete1John 3:21 - "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God."
Revelation 3:21 - "To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on His throne."
Here is a special one the befits you, I think:
John 3:21 - "but whoever lives by the truth comes intot he light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God."
There is a reason you do what you do. I am thankful for it and you, and how you live your life and that you have someone to love and love you back. Have a great day Dave! :)
Stephanie
That last sentence packs a whammy, dude.
ReplyDelete