I sometimes tell people that the older I get, the less I know. I don’t mean that I’ve forgotten lots of stuff – although that’s probably also true … can’t remember for sure. What I mean is that I am no longer so fixated on having all the answers. I think I’m finally starting to realize that God is God and I’m not … as a result, my relationship with God has gotten a lot simpler and a whole lot less frustrating.
I have learned some things, though. One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is that God is looking for integrity and honesty of heart. A lot of what goes on in our culture is about image. We often mock politicians for being insincere but the truth is that there’s something in all of us that wants to look good – to impress others. But God is not impressed with any of the things that we do to impress ourselves or others. I once heard Graham Cooke say that God doesn’t get disillusioned with us when we fail because He had no illusions about us in the first place! When we try to fool ourselves and others, God is not fooled. He sees us as we really are.
That thought can be disturbing and a bit unsettling as long as you are still trying to impress others, or trying to convince yourself that everything is OK when you know it’s really not. Once you give up that attempt, it’s strangely comforting to be dealing with a Being who sees you exactly as you are, speaks only the truth to you, and is committed to helping you see yourself – and all of life – the way He does.
If you want to know about seeing life from God’s perspective, a great place to start is by getting to know Jesus. He is a perfect reflection of God’s character. He is totally, unwaveringly truthful, will puncture all your illusions, and then when you finally collapse He will pick you up and show you amazing kindness, unlike anyone else on earth. That’s because He doesn’t come from earth – He comes from heaven, to reveal his Father’s goodness to a race that has been captive to deception for a long time.