Friday, October 26, 2012

God

My favorite contemporary theologian is A. W. Tozer. I say contemporary; he died in 1963. However, in the long arc of Christ’s Church he is as recent as William Coffin, Billy Graham, C. S. Lewis and many others. Tozer made this statement, “"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”  
You may or may not agree but I find it to be an observation both profound and prophetic. What comes into your mind when you think about God? Do you imagine that ancient fellow with a long white beard and robe sitting on a throne? Or perhaps you conjure the image of a young Jewish man walking across dusty roads trying desperately to get the truth across. I suspect some in our midst reflect on the beautiful sanctuary of Woodmont Christian Church and others consider the gentleman standing on the corner selling newspapers. Do you see God in nature, science, music, art, intellect or human relationships? Far be it from me to judge your perceptions. 
However, I would like to share my own. When I measure the greatest blessings in my life, these top the list: being born into a loving family that included a devoted Christian mother; learning about and loving God at an early age; meeting, marrying and spending my life with Sarah and our shared joy in raising three lovely rascals. It is this last blessing I wish to lift up. 
Who knows what our children say about us in private conversations? “He’s mean, she asks too many questions, he’s a tightwad, she’s selfish or they’re the best parents that ever lived.” I will say this about myself as a father—it is impossible for me to imagine anything that I would not do for the betterment or protection of any of my children. That is not an arrogant comment; I believe every dad and mom reading this will agree. Would you spend every last cent you have (and more) to bring medical care for them when they are ill? Would you run onto an athletic field in the middle of a game when your child went down from an injury? Would you raise Cain with a teacher if he/she treated your child with disrespect? Would you sleep in their tiny bed all night to make sure that the fever didn’t get out of hand? Would you read to them, hug them, wipe their tears away, tie their ties, braid their hair, drive them to soccer practice and dance lessons, bake them birthday cakes, put a quarter under their pillow from the Tooth Ferry, buy them khakis, whisper that you love them for ever and always, hold them so close you think your heart will break, pray for their future and hope upon hope that their lives are good? Yes, I believe you have and you will and you will and you will… 
That is my idea of God…and I am His child…and you are, as well. 
“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” Luke 15:20

1 Comments:

Blogger Phineas said...

Thom,

As an atheist, one thing I've wrestled with through the years is the question of what our ethical and moral framework would be absent religious influence. My fellow atheists--many of whom are unnecessarily belligerent to the point where I disassociate myself--seem to believe that people somehow 'inherently' know "right" from "wrong." I am not so sure.

Obviously, I don't believe in sin or any sort of moral standard based upon religion. But I do wonder if the standards which have surrounded me--which HAVE largely come from religious people, have unwittingly shaped my ethical and moral framework.

I don't know for sure, but it does make me wonder.

November 26, 2012 at 3:35 PM  

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