THOUGHT: Perceptions Are Not Always Reality

Have you ever had a way of thinking locked in? You know, a system of thought that is "just the way you think because you decided a long time ago that it made sense"? You don't really notice them until they get challenged. When they are challenged it can be an awkward battle. Whatever you have believed for a long time seems to have the sense of infallibility about it. Not because I am infallible but just because it feels established, and established must mean proven. Maybe that doesn't happen to you, but it happens to me...regularly. My secret is out. Secret #1 I am still learning. Secret #2 Sometimes I am wrong.

Try and control yourselves. This self-inflicted reign of shock and awe is not about to end. Here is the latest of my learnings:

When you think of the word "JUDGMENT" what do you think of? What comes to mind? Well for me it is almost always synonymous with destruction. They just seem to go together. Perhaps that also tells you something about my prevailing view of God that I am struggling to free myself of. Is it God's desire to destroy and break down? Is that how He gets done what He needs to get done? When He wants to get someone's attention does He just need to blow something up? It works well for the Hollywood version of God. If God appears in the movie then we are going to need to pump up the SFX budget.

When I think like that I miss the point and misunderstand and misrepresent God. This is the truth that I stumbled upon: judgment is not about destruction but about setting things right. I want things set right. That sounds more like the constantly redeeming, perpetually restoring God that I really believe in. That doesn't sound like I need to fear it. Maybe I can even anticipate His judgment. Where did that other view of God come from anyway?

g-ram