White Shirts and Truly Living...

I recently read this story... of a woman recalling an incident of when she was little girl. She talked about how she would watch her sister hang up their Dad’s shirts to dry and how one day she wanted to show her Dad love by helping. In her innocence this young girl hung up his nice white shirts on an old rusty weel barrel. Dad came home and was so angry at her for completely ruining his nice shirts and she was humiliated. Well as an adult she recalled this story to a friend and shared that her image of God was often shaped by that of her angry Father. That he was a God angry at her mistakes. But now she recognized that in reality God was not like her Father. The true God would not even look at the destroyed shirt but would run to her and love Her regardless of what she had done. This woman’s friend stopped her and then corrected her.

He said, I actually I don’t think that is what God would do. God as the Father would notice the shirt, then he would take it, and he would put it on, and he would wear it to work the next day. And when people asked, he would say, “yes, let me tell you about my beautiful daughter and how much she loves me.”

I think there is a false idea of religiosity that says that its not ok, to not be not ok. In that book Im reading by Stasi and John Eldridge they talk about inviting God into your pain. I liked that idea, because although I probably would never admit this, I think I like to clean up before I go to God. I don’t like to come to God angry or come to God hurt or bored. I try to come into his presence with a continued attitude of joy, always rejoicing, worshiping or praising him. As though the God of the Universe isn’t going to notice that my lips are saying one thing and my heart is feeling another? But what if my heart needs to walk through a bunch of junk before I can shout out my praises? Don’t we serve a God that would want to walk through this junk with us in order that we may more properly and fully worship him?

And infact wouldn't he, like the loving God and Father that he is take joy in the cross and take joy in my vulnerability and welcome me unto himself so proud that I infact offered myself without trying to make myself perfect?

I read this verse this morning....You who seek God may your hearts Live! Psalm 69:32

I think truly living is living not just the joy but the difficult things as well, and how much much more exciting then to do this in the presence of the God who gave His all for me--imperfect as I am. My hearts prayer today is that I will truly live.