WHO’S AFRAID?
Some time ago Fear of the Lord was considered a virtue. When I was in grade school, second grade
actually, I first heard of fearing God. I was terrified of God. I thought he
must be very mean. It was not proper to
doubt what Sister said, so I never told anyone what I thought. As I grew up and began to learn about Jesus
and what Jesus said about his father, I knew I was on the right track. Fear
does not engender love. Ask the family of an abuser. If you look up the phrase on the Internet,
you will find all kinds of rationale for the phrase. The fact remains that is what the words
say. Now I know that even when we fail,
God loves us and wants us to love him back.
In his book The Shack
Revisited, C. Baxter Kruger recounts the beautiful scene in The Shack when Papa (aka, God the
Father) steps out on the porch and joyously calls out “Mackenzie Allen
Phillips!” and wraps Mac in a bear hug, which conveys all the love God has for
him. The author points out that in the story
of the Prodigal Son, the boy’s father, also God the Father, does the same
thing. This story was told to us by
Jesus himself and thus verifies that rather than fear God, we should believe in
and acknowledge his love. His forgiveness is quick and absolute.
Imagine if everyone knew and believed that God loves each
one of us individually and as intimately as any parent, how the world would
explode with joy. The Big Bang would be
the merest whisper by comparison.
I’ll be taking the month of June off to recharge. Thank you for reading and letting me know
your thoughts.
My God bless your summer.
Carol Lemelin, OPA
