The last time i blogged was officially 2 months ago. It’s really long ago. Much has happened, but instead of having my thoughts straightened out on this blog, ive placed much of my thoughts back into my brain bank or into do-re-mi-s.
One thing that i’ve been dealing alot with recently is this term “affectionate reverence”. It mainly concerns how i relate to God and how i approach him. The term affectionate reverence is extremely interesting, as it reminds us of what i consider a possible dichotomy in our relationship with God.
First and foremost, let me establish that following paragraphs are purely based on my experience and my own thought process. I do not claim that this dichotomy actually exists in reality or that we should all perceive it this way. I hope that all of us will be able to come before God with simplicity and intimacy. With this disclaimer, i shall proceed with my musings.
My mind works in concepts. As such, when i perceive God to be of a certain attribute, i tend to approach him in a way that best relates to that attribute. Herein lies the dichotomy: God is everything (in a good way of course); he is Lord and Father, Creator and Friend. So how does one relate to a Lord, who also happens to be a Father? Or a Creator, who also happens to be a Friend?
If God is just our Lord: The first thing i would do is to give all that i have to him. After all, if he is Lord, he deserves every bit of what i have and every ounce of me. It would be easy to have a master-servant relationship. The things that i do and the way i orientate my life would be around serving him with all my heart and my soul and might and strength. I would seek nothing else but to satisfy the will of my Lord, as he deserves my all. In other words, i will not question his authority or be in a position to debate with him. He may love me dearly, but there seems to be a slight (perceived) limit to the level of intimacy one can be with the Lord Almighty.
If God is just our Father: The first thing i would do is to hug this Father. I would want to be loved by him and love him in return. What i do for him is based on the fact that i wish to please this Father. The idea of obedience would be slightly different from what was previously mentioned, though the elements of respect and trust remain. I would want to spend more time with him and talk with him and know him more. He will protect me as a father would a son. I would seek not mainly to satisfy his will, but to just be in a relationship with him; what i do is a result from this relationship with him. It matters that i live my identity as a child of God, things will then fall into place as i learn and grow.
The dichotomy that im faced with is that both are equally true at the same time. God is our Father and Lord and Friend and Creator, all at one go! Wow. The thought of that just goes beyond my imagination. How’s that possible? And how do we handle this? In each situation, we can choose to relate to God as being any of his attributes. Each way is correct, as after all, he contains all those attributes simultaneously. Personally, i feel that the tricky part comes when we dont recognise this fact and subsequently relate to God in terms of only one part of his character.
On one hand, if we try to relate to God as Lord all the time, we may somehow distance ourselves from him. Without having a close relationship with God, it is hard to serve God and carry out his will. As such, if we dont know who God is and seek to do something for God, we only bring ourselves to an empty religion,which will leave us dry and disillusioned.
On the other hand, if we try to relate to God as a Father/Friend all the time, sometimes we may lose the crucial element of reverence. Without acknowledging that God is bigger than we are and possessing all the awesome God stuff, it is easy to make decisions that puts God second place in our lives. If God is just a Father/Friend, we may tend to treat him as a person whom we can ignore if we forget or dont feel like talking to when not in the mood. Of course, once again, this is because one does not have a close relationship with God. As such, it is easier for us to turn away from him than turn to him; i believe that if we have an intimate relationship with God, it would be hard not to involve God in our lives or turn to him in every small thing.
Having said all that, i shall return to the term: “affectionate reverence”. “Affectionate” refers to how we are children before God, dearly loved and dearly favoured by God. “Reverence” refers to how God deserves our awe and our obedience. It is in this simple term where one can be reminded that God is everything. It matters not how one approaches God, but simply the fact that he is approachable.
Whew. I think i’ve talked too much. Remind me again that it’s best to keep our relationship with God simple. Too much cleverness… too much cleverness just complicates matters.
Hmmm.
