Tenderness

I serve a God of great tenderness and beauty.  This is why my heart hurts when people accuse Him of being anything other than that.  He told me long ago that He could fight His own battles and that it was okay if I stand down.  But today, He has once again shown me just how tender and loving He really is through the story of Genesis.

As i type this tears stream down my face as I am overwhelmed by His love and care that He has extended to us throughout our existence.  Many times I have asked the LORD to let me know Him better and i even had the brave prayer of asking, like Paul, to let me know Him in his suffering.  He has answered that prayer.

At times my children have rejected me (as probably most parents have experienced)and it hurt me so deeply.  Part of the reason it hurt so deeply is because I know how much good i want for them, only good.  I see the parallel with mankind and the LORD.  He created us to only know good, but we choose otherwise.  Because of the lust of the eyes, the pride of life and the lust of the appetite.  We have fallen into a state of guilt and shame.  Rather than feel guilt or shame we harden our hearts and let sin overtake our hearts and justify our actions.  Adam and Eve sewed together fig leaves.  They tried to justify their actions by covering up the choice they had made.  Of course the action they took was more serious than they imagined, just like our teenagers today don't realize the damage (they believe they are indestructible).  The LORD had to take action against the offense.  Some rebelled, some understood. The LORD himself took an animal and killed it, to cover the sin.  How His heart must have broken in that moment.  To take away the very life He had given.
This of course where my understanding ceases.  Because i have never given life to anything and then had to destroy that very good thing.  But, i do understand what it means to be misunderstood.  I do understand the feeling of people hiding from me because they are doing something they shouldn't, and then justify their action rather than repent "the women you gave me made me do it".  We all like to blame someone else.  "the serpent deceived me and I did eat" maybe it is us looking to our surroundings, our parents , our poverty...whatever it may be.  but we are still all without excuse.  We individually choose to sin and we can not place that upon anyone or anything else.  I know that HE can take care of Himself...but I just wish humans would stop saying things about HIM that simply are not true.  He is loving and kind.  A God slow to anger and full of mercy.  One who loves beauty and loves each and everyone of us.  He is gracious and forgiving.  A God of great compassions.  He does care about the state of the world, more than we can imagine.  If I can for one moment bring some joy to HIS heart, my life would be full.  He is so worthy of our love.  He is not the creator of suffering, HE IS THE GIVER OF LIFE!