"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you."
Pastor's get the privilege of being entrusted with the stories of people's darkest moments. My pastor, a man with curly hair, once joked that the things he has heard from his parishioners are what made his hair curl. It's these hair curling stories that bring me to the writing of this devotion. No...I suppose it is actually my prayers for the people behind the stories.
Here's one such story. It is that of a young woman, only a year or two out of high school, who is struggling to raise her two year old son. She relies on her grandparents for free babysitting so that she can go to work. She also leans on them through financial hurdles as they come up. If that were the end of the story she would be fine. But, it isn't. Unfortunately, she is in an abusive relationship with a boyfriend. She says he loves her and that she loves him. But, when she came to talk to me she had bruises on her arm and cheek. A Valentine's Day "gift" from her boyfriend for speaking up against his plans to spend the holiday with a different woman. She spoke to me about love, yet she told me that she was afraid of what he would do if she broke up with him.
In my conversation with her that day I found myself repeating to her "Love doesn't intimidate."
Are there people who intimidate you?
I'm reminded of a scene from The Wizard of Oz. It's that scene when Dorothy and her friends finally get to see the Wizard, and they’re scared to death. They feel the heat from the fire shooting all around them. They hear the Wizard’s booming voice. They see his giant head in front of them. And for a moment, they’re almost too terrified to approach him.
Intimidation is terrifying. The worst kind is when people twist love into a selfish lie. They use love only as a tool with which to make us vulnerable; preying upon our vulnerabilities in order to intimidate us into submission to their will. This is not love. It is an abomination of love. When someone we love intimidates us into a state of being too terrified to be honest, open, or genuine with that person then we are not being loved...we are being abused.
Love doesn't intimidate.
Unfortunately, there are some who believe this is how we should approach God — with fear and trembling. After all, he is perfect. He is the source of all power. He knows everything about us...even the really, really bad things. We should be afraid of him. Right?!
Wrong!! God is not the Wizard of Oz!
God's mercy and grace are always greater than His wrath and judgment.
God doesn't intimidate!
The apostle James wrote that God has made himself completely approachable with Christ. He makes himself available to us. In fact, he invites us to come near him. Because he loves us, we can have a relationship with him...one that is truly about love, not abuse. His love for us breaks the manipulative bonds of an abusive relationship, heals the wounds with truth and promise, and shelters us from the storms of anguish. As Luther wrote in his timeless song, "A mighty fortress is our God...."
God doesn't intimidate! Therefore, love doesn't intimidate!
Dear God, thank you for allowing us to approach you like that of a loving mother or father. Let us never lose faith in what power and fortitude your love for us provides. Amen.
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Thanks!
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