I think one of the most uncomfortable things a Christian can come across while reading Scripture is a verse that states something that is contrary to what they want to believe or have traditionally believed for a long time. A dark cloud of dissonance forms within their mind and they scramble for any suitable explanation to dismiss the words in order to relax their taut nerves. Most Christians do not have the backbone to stand up and examine the questions formed in their mind—the questions Scripture forces them to ask. Their theological construct is too delicate to undergo any scrutinous examination. A faith like this is like a glass castle. It may look nice and feel spacious walking around inside, but when a hail storm comes it crumbles and shatters like a house of cards hit by a small puff of wind.

If a believer’s faith has any substance (depth, strength, or integrity) it must of necessity be prepared encounter the difficult questions. It must be ready to grab a vine and swing across the ravine in order to continue along its trail. Maybe not everyone wants to have a truly strong faith, or a faith that can handle fierce storms and arduous expeditions of this sort……and that is fine. Each Christian is responsible for their own faith. They are the only one who can increase it and they are the only one who can lose. In their journey of faith, most believers like to sail around the harbor in the little 2 mile circumference where the water is calm and they do not need to know how to handle their vessel with any real competency. But for those who want to see the great vistas of God and the riches of knowledge revealed in Scripture, they must be prepared to venture where they have never been before and endure the potentially treacherous waters into which they run.

Unfortunately, it seems that many often substitute their conviction and courage to sail on the open seas for the comfort and security of the harbor. They feel more relieved to sketch God in their little coloring book with an 8-color Crayon pack than bust out the full canvas and paint with all the colors of the rainbow. Why have we become so timid and reluctant to want to see God for who he truly is? Are we afraid that we will learn that God is not our nice little pre-school teacher that we originally thought he was? I admit…..I lived in the shadow of this routine for many years. But I came to realize that I had conformed God to my image of him. I lacked the audacity to let go of my view of God and to let it grow and encompass all that he has said concerning himself. I realized my problem was that I was uncomfortable letting God be everything he is. I wanted to keep God the same size he has always been and acting the way I have always thought of him instead of adjusting my perception of him and embracing all of who he is—what he has done, what he does, and what he will do.

Unless we break out of the tiny box that we try and fit God into, we will not know who he truly is. God will only be as real and as big as we make him out to be. And depending on how much we choose to sweep under the rug will reflect the amount of who God is that we will never know. God does not need to meet our approval! God is who he is whether we choose to recognize and believe him or write it off as something we do not like about him. Quit stopping short of exploring the oceans of our Maker. Pursue God without fear and take him as he is.  ~JW