Mythbusters

Recently while reading the book Rumours of Another World by Philip Yancey, there was a passage that leapt off the page at me, one which dispensed with a common misconception that we hold of God and His great love for us. The myth is this: that when we fall into sin, God draws apart from us, until we seek Him out. In fact, the opposite is true. In his book, Yancey writes:"'Adam, where are you?' God called out in the garden. It was Adam, not God, who hid. God takes the initiative to come searching; we are the ones who hide. And Jesus, the Great Physician, sees our sins not as disqualifiers but as the reason for his journey from another world to ours. Rescue is God's business." When I read this, I knew it to be true, yet it was completely opposite to our human misconceptions of God. While it is true that it is sin that separates us from God, it is also true that God never gives up on us, and is constantly pursuing us in the hopes that we will turn from our sinful ways and return to His loving arms.

In Luke 15:4-7, Jesus tells the following parable: "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent." The message of this parable is also reinforced through the parable of the lost coin and the story of the prodical son, and that message is that no matter how badly we may mess up in this life, it in no way deters God from relentlessly pursuing a meaningful relationship with us.

It is important to remember that when we are going through rocky times spiritually, despite how we are feeling, we cannot push God away. He will be there right beside us, but it is up to us to accept His help. In the song Sea of Faces, Kutless writes, "If only my one heart / Was all You'd gain from all it cost / Well I know You would have still been a man / With a reason / To willingly offer Your life." I cannot think of a more encouraging thought than that.