Positive Faith in Scripture: God’s Dominant Characteristics

“But you, my Lord,

are a God of compassion and mercy;

you are very patient and full of faithful love.”

Psalm 86:15, CEB

Thinking about faith in positive terms is not just about how we view ourselves- it also has quite a lot to do with how we view God.

Many struggle to believe in God as scripture presents him and as God speaks of himself in scripture. This is because preachers for the last 100 years or so have treated God’s “rare” qualities as if they are “dominant” qualities in order to motivate people into joining churches, or making decisions, or whatever the case may be. Regardless of the specifics, this has largely been done to make the preacher look good and has little to do with God or the person on the receiving end of the message.

Psalm 86 echoes the most-often repeated claim about God in the Bible- that he is compassionate and merciful, and patient and loving. These are his dominant traits. They are the ones most prominently on display “most” of the time (it generally takes hundreds of years to get God angry).

God spends more of his time lamenting the fact that his own people can’t seem to embody these same traits- compassion, mercy, patience, and love- than he does being angry at them over it.

Because of your past, it is likely quite hard to believe that God is the things Psalm 86 says. But, if you did believe them…what would that change for you?

A Teammate…

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."

Eleanor Roosevelt

My son and teammate Scott has been a huge influencer in my life. Just today he responding to a crushing email with such knowledge, wisdom and patience that I could only sit for awhile in gratitude for the gift that he is to me - both as a son and colleague. Enneagram Fives are objective; which inspires me, a person who can be reactionary. We may not always agree with their conclusions, but we can trust that they have both the relevant data and facts. They will not obfuscate the truth to win.

Could this be you? Can you think of others in your life who have this capacity and inspire you?

A Husband…

"Success at the highest level comes down to one question: Can you decide that your happiness can come from someone else's success?"

Bill Walton

My greatest influencer has been my husband. He has seen me at my worst and stayed. He has enormous amounts of patience and the capacity to play with our children and grandchildren for endless hours no matter what else is vying for his attention. He's the kind of guy that includes people and collaborates. He's the one to call when our health insurance company accidentally canceled all our various family member's insurance policies. He's patient and has a natural ability to listen to customer service representatives as they explain to him why they cannot help him and yet, eventually do.

He has a natural capacity to really listen to people and help solve problems so that organizations and teams he supports have a better chance of achieving their goals. I have other influencers in my life with this uncanny ability to support the dreams of others - they are pretty magical people. I have a dear friend and daughter who also exude this willingness to sacrifice over and over for those they love. Truly, these folks are willing to go to great lengths without receiving credit for their efforts so long as their efforts improve the condition of those they serve.

Could this be you? Can you think of others in your life who have this capacity and inspire you?

This is Not Suffering…This is Whining

Suffering is a great killer of faith. For people who are not only used to suffering but can also not avoid it? They perhaps handle it better. But for those of us who are reasonably comfortable? I wonder if we have gotten too out of touch with reality. I notice an awful lot of people acting like suffering should not exist at all.

Take me for instance. I ordered this piece of furniture on January 1, 2021. The handy email receipt told me to expect delivery on March 1st. I would have preferred it in January - but ok, I think, I can be flexible. I am a reasonable person; I realize that we are in the first year of a pandemic and I know that history teaches us that pandemics last two years. I can wait until March.

March and April come and go but still I do not have my piece of furniture. Estimated time of arrival? End of May. I start complaining about this as if it is a hardship. It is not. It is an expected result in the middle of a pandemic.

We humans have been complaining about our suffering since the beginning of time. God couldn't work fast enough to get Eve created and handed over to Adam. He did not need a single dating app or dating ritual - God just provided. Still with the complaining. One tree out of a whole garden off limits? Those two could not bear it. They had to nibble at its fruit. You know the rest of the story.

Ending suffering is a worthy cause. I spend parts of every day praying and pondering - how can we do more to end the suffering of families struggling with the epidemic of substance use disorder? If I had a magic wand, I would wave it.

But waiting on a piece of furniture is not suffering, it's called waiting. Suffering is when I think I am too special to have to wait - which reminds me too much of my toddler grandchildren who at least have age as an excuse for their need for immediate cookie gratification. A garden full of delicious offerings with one lousy tree considered out-of-bounds is not suffering, it's called denial of limitations. I confess that today I realize that if my sideboard never arrives, I'm still one blessed human.

Preach Him Crucified

"Do I not conquer my enemy," said Abraham Lincoln, "By making him my friend?"

This said by the guy who was gunned down in Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. on April 14th, 1865.

As I so often say, this is a terrible sales pitch for following Jesus but Lincoln's words are imitations of Christ's teachings. Paul reiterates this in Romans 12 - be devoted, honor one another, be joyful, patient and faithful. Be hospitable, rejoice and mourn as appropriate, hang out with the rabble, do right and do not repay evil with evil, live at peace and do not seek revenge.

Preach him crucified.

Because these instructions (and more) continually remind us that we are losers in life if we define winning as getting our way or expecting to be treated well by others or demanding that Jesus prosper us just because we love him. No, that's not the Jesus way. We are to feed our enemy and give him water if he is thirsty. Overcome evil with good.

Sometimes this means rumbling a bit. Sometimes it will require loving others by telling the truth even when we know it will stir up feelings that, shall we say, are less than pleasant? But this is what love is. It is imitating Christ. It is loving when our feelings do not justify it. Sometimes love is tender, sometimes it is....firm.

Once when I was a kid I got glass in my foot while swimming at a public pool. I was at my grandmother's house visiting and I knew that if anyone was going to help me remove the glass - it was not going to be her. So I went next door and my beloved friends' mother, Dot, removed the glass without flinching. She was a sturdy woman that way. In that moment, I needed someone who could do hard things, which included pulling a shard of glass out of a frightened child's foot. It was as loving as serving me a double scoop of homemade ice cream - which my grandmother did later that evening.

Easter is a lot about resurrection but it is also about crucifixion. Preach him crucified.