Today our guest contributor is a lovely woman from our church named Linda Waugh.
My journey has taken me from being a person who ended each day receiving God's report card with the little box "Needs to Improve" always checked off, seldom going to sleep with real peace about my "performance" as a Christian. As you might guess, prayer and spending time with God often felt like duty. I wondered whether I was praying for the right things. I was always feeling guilty that even interceding for people I love was actually selfish. Prayer was a lot of work and wondering whether I had the right formula was exhausting.
Gradually, over these weeks of reading the daily messages and spending time thinking about God's greatness and love, I realize I am changing.
I like being with God!
He's not critiquing my prayers for mistakes in form or content. I can talk to him all the time about everything, even when I'm not happy things aren’t going the way I want. I know these changes in attitude (or posture) toward God may not seem like that big of a deal—but it is for me. Not seeing prayer as a duty but as an ongoing conversation with Him who knows me best—and isn't harshly scrutinizing my performance—is a big positive change that I love.
Linda, what a blessing. Thank you. How we perceive the way God perceives us makes all the difference. So true!
I’ve noticed in my life that it is a special delight to spend time with people who adore me. And, well, it’s not so fun to be around people who don’t like me. I’m pretty sure we all feel this way—unless your experience is that everyone on the planet thinks you are wonderful. Some of you are so nice that it probably is your experience. But for the rest of us ...
Grandma-with-the-cane
I think of when I was a kid and we’d visit my great-grandmother who we affectionately called “Grandma-with-the-cane.” Her face would light up when she saw me. Her love was palpable in her little trailer where she lived alone. She was frail and always sitting but had a certain energy about her that seeped inside me. I was into cars and trucks and GI Joe and baseball cards, but we didn't do any of that together—we were from different centuries. She was born in the late 1800s! We weren't exactly people who had much in common, but that didn't matter. There was an aura of tender love around her that made my heart sing.
Dads
We all know theologically that God loves us, but somehow we aren’t sure what that means. I think we forget that strong love has strong affection. We don't always think of the Lord as affectionate. You know, He’s God, He doesn’t hug people. He’s the king—nobody hugs the king!
We understand what affection is because we see the way certain fathers have deep affection for their children. These dads hold their children when they get weary of walking. Sometimes they are patting the child on the back to comfort them. They smother the child with kisses. They let the child rest on their lap. Dad’s face even expresses affection.
Jesus
But is God like that? We struggle to imagine He is. We think the Lord is great and mighty; He’s a warrior; He’s the Creator and Sustainer of the universe—He can’t be bothered with hugs.
But I think of the apostle John who would rest his head on Jesus. Think of the tenderness of that. Granted, John was the youngest of the Twelve, but he wasn’t that young; he was at least a young adult. He describes himself in his gospel as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” When he leaned his head on Jesus while reclining at the table, Jesus didn’t push him away. In fact, anyone older than us, who we feel comfortable enough to lay our head on, is very likely someone who has initiated affection with us.
Aunt Jenny
Affection is love expressed with words and embrace and glow. It makes me think of one of my Italian aunts named “Aunt Jenny.” She was really tall (but it may be that I was just really short). She was very beautiful and—just like many of my Italian aunts—Jenny had hair that reached toward the sky in that classic 60s style. When she came up to me, say, at a wedding, the first thing that hit me was the cloud of perfume around her. Woah! And then she’d squeal, “Scotti!” and grab me and smother me and kiss me and get lipstick all over me. Her whole countenance glowed with affection. She’d descend from her towering stature and get right down at my level to put her eyes right on my eyes. I felt like a baby rock star! Her love was intoxicating.
Solomon
One of the poetry books in the Bible tells of a love story between King Solomon and a young Shulamite girl. The affection felt by Solomon for this girl was intense.
You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace. How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice! (Song of Solomon 4:9-10)
When God sings
But would God have this kind of love for us? Would God gush over His people the way Solomon did over his bride? It just seems undignified. Again, we know God loves us but we can’t imagine Him being affectionate. But consider this verse:
The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)
The Lord is tenderly singing over His people. You almost picture a parent singing a lullaby. In Isaiah 40 it says that “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.” The truth is that God is more affectionate than we can imagine. No one outdoes the Lord in affection. He’s more affectionate than all the moms and dads, grandmothers and grandfathers on the planet put together.
Prodigal son
Or how about the Father in the prodigal son story who embraced and kissed his wayward son? The kid squandered his inheritance and rebelled against his dad. He came back broken and ashamed. The father in the story sees him from far away, hikes up his skirt, and runs toward the son and takes hold of him. The father calls for a celebration—kill the fattened calf, invite the whole town! We all know that the father in this story represents God. Jesus was telling us that God is the kind of God who embraces and kisses unworthy sinners and welcomes them home!
I wonder if the affection of the Father for us is overshadowed by the imagery in the Bible of God's judgment? God destroys the earth by flood, for example, in the first book of the Bible. All through Scripture we see snapshots of the Lord sending earthquakes, bringing the sword, striking with pestilence, and unleashing all sorts of fierce judgments. And we think, “this doesn’t seem like someone who is the hugging type.”
Anna and the King
It is true that God is a mighty King and it is fitting that we should fear Him and tremble before Him. But He’s also a tender compassionate Father to His beloved children. It reminds me of the scene in the movie Anna and the King with Jodie Foster. In one scene the king, played by Chow Yun-fat, comes into a crowded area. Immediately, everyone present hits the ground and bows prostrate before him in reverence. But then, tearing through the crowd freely and determined, a little girl runs and throws herself into the arms of the king, who receives her with affection. It was her dad.
Perception of God
When our perception of God is that He is unapproachable and scary, it makes us hesitant. Yes! He does dwell in unapproachable light, Scripture says. God said to Moses that no one can see God and live. All the earth trembles at His voice. But, He is for us. He adores us. We are His children. Christ shed His blood so that we can approach the Lord as boldly as that little girl did running to her dad-king.
Also, when we imagine God is perpetually disappointed in us, it naturally causes us to shrink back. I just don't think we understand the way that the Lord looks at us. Even after Peter denied Jesus the Scriptures say Jesus looked at him and loved him. We struggle with this because we don't feel worthy; our shame causes us to hide our face from Him.
Blissfully content
I think of times when certain teachers or coaches or employers didn’t like me. You might not believe me because I’m so lovable now—ha!—but I did many things when I was young to provoke people to not like me. It was because of my bad behavior. But here’s the thing: even if I changed my behavior, they did not change their negative view of me; they just couldn't forget things I had done. The Lord however is not like that. He abundantly pardons.
Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18-19)
The Lord is a God who is affectionate with his children who were rebellious. When we begin to realize the Lord’s affection for us it makes us blissfully content in His presence. Restlessness in prayer fades away. It’s like when the weather outside is absolutely perfect. Maybe there is a slight breeze but the sun warms you like an invisible blanket. You don’t want to go anywhere; it is perfection. That’s what it’s like when we start realizing the affection of God. We don’t want to go anywhere.