By Mike Edwards
You probably thought I was going to rant about some sin in your life. Nope! Read on. God is like the cool grandparent I try to be. My grandchildren are still young but when I am with them, I don’t rattle keys to entertain them and hope they go away. I get on the floor and play despite back issues. I tell them you can’t have all the sugar you want, but I will understand you want it and we will work it out. I won’t say do as I say, not what I do – most of the time. I confess that I am more the 4-hour type than the 24/7 type grandparent. When they get older and more independent, we can hang out longer. I did enough all-nighters with my kids.
What kind of parent is God?
I may not do all that my kids wish I did with their kids but when my kids are in pain, I am as miserable as hell. I am convinced God as well when we are in pain. Something breaks and my kids need money, I am there unless using money to get high! A work responsibility comes up and you need childcare, I may have to break my 3-hour rule. I can’t stand them having ANY anxiety about a duty coming up. I can’t stand when their heat quits at their home in the winter. Imagine how God feels when those in poor countries die due to harsh weather and they have no shelter.
I got a feeling God is a more caring, lover than I am. The type of relationship I only know to compare God and me is a parent-child relationship. And God has a lot more children/creations than I do. You may have been taught God feels angry and you will reap the consequences of your sins. So, I guess God has emotions. If God can feel angry, God can feel sadness, etc. I understand tough times may build character, but God hates unnecessary challenges we may face because we live in a broken world. God can’t stand when you are in pain!
How does God love us?
God’s love surely is the same as supreme parents – other-directed not self-consumed. Love gets excited when we do well and make a difference in the lives of others. Love anticipates, hopes for my success, believes in me. God is pulling for me, even when failing, because I do the same for my children. God may worry but still hopes. We are dependent on our children for intimate relationships. God is dependent on us. God puts trust in us by giving us freedom. A God who claims to love but doesn’t believe in, hope for us, doesn’t love us at all. Heck, even the Bible claims God wants to be friends with us (John 15:15, James 2:22-23), as I do with my adult children.
How dare you compare God’s love to human love!
Even the Bible suggests God’s love is the same as perfect human love: “Be perfect, therefore as your heavenly Parent is perfect” (Mt. 5:48); be imitators of God (Eph. 5:1); be merciful like God (Lk. 6:36). God must love like perfect humans. Bible folks say we are made in the image of God. God’s image is our perfect image! It is only intuitive that God’s love means what we mean when saying we love others on a deep level. Even those who accuse God of being mysterious agree. When one’s interpretation of Scriptures suggest God appears evil from a human perspective, they are assuming God and human love are the same by accusing God of being mysterious.
But can’t God control our suffering unlike earthly parents?
Good News – God Can’t Be In Control!
God can’t stand if you don’t understand how much God loves you
It pumps me to no end when my parents or partner feels genuine respect for me! They committed to me not knowing how the relationship would turn out. God too! If you claim to love someone, you trust them, you hope they succeed, you have faith in them. Even some who don’t believe Jesus was really divine and human, they believe Jesus may have been the most perfect person in the world like God. Jesus had trust, hope, and faith in others. So does God! God is the kind of spiritual Parent I have longed for in my journey to love others like I want to be loved. How do you want to be loved by your parents? That is how God loves you!
Resource and must read: Wm. Curtis Holtzen, The God Who Trust: A Relational Theology Of Divine Faith, Hope, and Love
What God Can’t Stand The Most!
Mike Edwards has been writing for Done with Religion for some time and has been a great addition to the site. He couldn’t find enough people to discuss God openly so he started blogging years ago. Mike also has his own site where he writes that can be found at What God May Really Be Like He can be contacted by email at: medwar2@gmail.com
Done with Religion 