It has always struck me that the Bible is such a mess
so full of uncomfortable dark stuff
failure
hate
greed
even murder
A writer once said that the people of Israel
made a religion out of their worst moments
revealing a relationship with God that was always in process
three steps forward, two steps back
two steps forward, three steps back
a process of learning and growing
in understanding of self and the divine
but also a process full of error
and frustration
arrogant kings, thankless people
a process tortured and twisted
I resemble that
But there was always one constant in the story
God
not the God they saw
not even the God they wrote about and described
but the God who was there
always
and always there
trying to re-create
trying to make them truly human (they were always spiritual, we are spiritual beings)
trying to breathe into to them
trying to give away to them a Larger Life (Richard Rohr)
trying to get us back to ourselves
in the midst of the darkeness
the failure
the fruitless dusty treks into the wilderness
in the midst of fear of God
and blood thirsty desire to destroy others
the people of Israel saw
however dimly this amazing God
and over and over again
in the midst of misunderstanding
understood
and described God with five key words
merciful, gracious, faithful, forgiving, and steadfast (Walter Brueggemann)
the process is difficult
we can only pray, seek, and often suffer
But God is God
I am thankful for that
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