Just What IS Our Image of God?
Dog is God spelled backwards - in English, at least: That might seem irreverent
at first, but when you really think about how society portrays God: how we
relate to religiousness, that seems quite appropriate because of how a dog, or
any other animal, imprints. You see, a dog will consider itself part of whatever
family it grows up with. No matter how good or bad its human might be, that dog
will be the most loyal companion, unless -- unless, you take to giving it a good
kick on occasion. THEN, that dog will change its behavior towards you. No matter
what you do from that point on, it will ALWAYS remember the kick you gave it.
You might spend the rest of your life trying to make up for your loss of temper,
but the dog will not forget. In such a manner Dog, like the God of Religion, is
created in our image.
Many have commented that we create gods in our image rather than the contrary. But, is that so? It used to be that I didn't think that way. I was the good boy of the congregation, always listening to my elders and doing as I was told. As long as I obeyed I was assured a room in the Great Mansion in the Sky. I, also, believed honest and sincere men ran our government and all priest were celibate. By the way, I also believed in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny for far too long. I still listen to my elders. It's just that I've learned to ask a few questions, lately.
So, then I'll ask, is our God like a dog that requires us to come to it on bloodied knees in perpetual acts of contrition to regain its trust? Or, is the dog more like a wife, loyal to a fault unless, or until you fail to fulfill your expected obeisance.
Remember that dog? A kicked dog has nothing on a wife who no longer trusts her husband. There's a proverb that reads, "It is better to dwell on the corner of a rooftop than in a wide house with a contentious woman," cause there ain't nowhere you gonna go to get away from her. "Don't you go walking out on me Mister till we get this all dis-cussed!" And, no longer is it just about what you just done. She be remembering everything you ever did in your sorry ass life. Sleeping in a Streets and Sanitation salt box ain't nothin' compared to curling into a fetal ball upon the finest mattress next to that woman who is never going to let you forget what you have done.
It is also witten, "A brother offended is harder to retake than a high walled city. These days we can see how that first offense can lead to the sort of things going on between the Palestinians and Israelites. Remember, the Jews and Arabs are descended from brothers. Let me tell you brothers, once you break that trust between mates, siblings, or neighbors, it is nigh unto impossible to overcome that one moment of madness - except with God, that is. God be forgiving me for everything I done and will do. It be past and over the horizon. It be the difference between God and the religions that try to portray Him. AND, it be the secret to world peace.
Ain't that how you feel about going to church? Religion be laying all kinds of penance on us and reminding us of how short we fall from perfection -- but not God who made us like this and knows what to expect from us. God be like a father helping teach his child first to walk. No matter how many times we fall, He be there to help us back up. There is NEVER a time when He grows tired of lifting us back up.
He just wants us to keep trying, even if we NEVER are able to walk on out own. And, as far as my moment of madness is concerned, God is like the redo option on my computer. It's like that old desire to have another chance to get it right. God gives us that. The sheriff might not, but God does - over and over again, till we either get it right or die trying. Once turning to Jesus has washed us clean, we cannot ever cut ourselves off from God's love and compassion no matter what we do - EVER! We BE forgiven.
Religion has been and is like "push comes to shove." Religion tells us, "An eye for an eye -- "What's now done cannot be undone, unless we fulfill certain criteria and express proper contrition, so…: THE REASON WHY so many of us just give up and quit trying becomes apparent. We don't fit in. We just can't seem to measure up to the standards those "good people" set for us. No matter how hard we try, we still end up waking up in wonder at how we managed to screw up again. It seems quite clear we'd NEVER ever manage to be good enough for God. Certainly that's what all those pointing fingers seem to indicate. So…
So, we end up like Sam Kinison who stated "Since I'm going to hell anyway, I might as well take the Hell Express." Unless someone is willing to forgive without conditions to get the ball rolling, many of us just presume there's no point in even trying. That's how it was with my Dad who never admitted to seeing anything good in me, and that's how things were turning out with my wife. It took me awhile, but I finally deduced that nothing I did would make much of a difference with them, so... So, why even bother to try anymore. My dad died without figuring out what had gone wrong, but wives are more into communications, so... So, I finally got across to her how her unwillingness was poisoning our relationship. That's when this whole forgiveness thing went boing in my head.
CAUSE
God is NOT like that and we are created in His image - able to FORGIVE and FORGET even before we sin. After all, what kind of God would create a system in which people were cut off from even knowing about Him and then punish them for it? What kind of God would put people onto genetic and socio/economic rails and not cut them some slack? And, just why would He wait some 4000 years or more to bring along the "Get out of Hell free card" without providing a way for all those dead people to get on board? God, who is not bound by the constraints of the space time continuum, has already forgiven everyone. That can be the only answer. It's just that we don't all realize it yet, so we walk around bleeding in pain all over the floor. Once this all became clear to me I had to shout it out. I couldn't keep it too myself -- even with religious types trying to tackle me and wrestle me to the floor to shut me up. I became a heretic messing with their game -- intruding on their turf.
SEE
To understand and forgive takes the Holy Spirit which we can only receive by coming to God, confessing our sins, admitting we don't know nothing on our own, and accepting Jesus (the image of the Forgiving God) into our lives. Just knowing we are forgiven produces a euphoria that spreads into every corner of our lives. I used to be overcome by self loathing over what little progress, if any, I had made in becoming God-like. Now I realize that it doesn't matter as long as I realize I be forgiven and be forgiving others. For those of you who don't understand Ebonics, to be forgiving means to be in a continual state of such. It's not a one time thing, but a regular continuing thing. I think the Ebonic state of "be" best represents the way God be forgiving. You can count on it being, that's all.
SO
Come to God and let Him HUG YOU, wipe away your tears, and heal your pain by changing it into understanding and compassion for the pain of others. God has placed us on our rails. He understands what He has created. Why would God do so? Maybe so we can show all those goody goodies out there that nobody can earn God's forgiveness. He paid the ultimate price in Jesus Christ just to show us how much love He has for us - to take on human form and allow His very creation to spit upon Him, nail him to a tree, and drain the life out of Him. Just to express to us what perfect love looks like. How else would we know?
No, "it" cannot be earned. Those who think the are earning it might be surprised to find us waiting to greet them at the proverbial Pearly Gates. Maybe, just maybe, THAT'S why He stuck us on these rails. But, in doing so, He has given us the perfect opportunity: To come forward and receive the gift of compassion that has had our names on it since before we were ever conceived in our mothers' wombs - a gift no man (or woman) can ever take away from you. YOU can now express the perfect love of God.
There's nothing for you to do to qualify. You already preapproved. God loves sinners most of all because we give Him a chance to do more of what He loves to do: Forgive. Come forward as you are and learn how God has forgiven you. Once you learn how much God be loving you, you'll want to learn how to do the same for others, thus being born into the very image of God Himself.