“That’s G*d awful.”
I heard a fellow Christian use this phrase. We were just making conversation, and I honestly don’t remember exactly what we were talking about. But, I remember how I felt. There was a twinge in my heart - something like the fracture of a frozen pond, or the snap of a tree branch, or the break of a heart.
This may come off a little strong, but I despise the phrase “G*d awful.”
Yes, it’s flippantly using the LORD’s Name in vain. And yes, it also gives the impression that one is whining and complaining. I’m not a fan of either of those things.
However, the real reason I’m bringing it up is because it couldn’t be more of a contradiction.
Before I get into anything, I want to teach you a concept that has changed my life:
Imagine there is a spectrum. On the left side of the spectrum, there is something called "artificial harmony." On the right side of the spectrum, there is something called "mean-spiritedness." In the center of the spectrum, there is something called "kind truth." I will go into more depth about this concept in a separate, future blog; I'll even draw you a picture of the spectrum.
For now, let's just agree that this particular blog is going to be speaking a lot of "kind truth" to you. Reader, if you begin to feel like I am being a little too forward for your liking, perhaps this is the kind of kind truth that you need to read. Conviction may sting a little, but it's necessary and truly vital to know. Please hear my heart: what I am telling you is not spoken out of malice, hatred, or a mean spirit. And I am completely aware that I don't know you personally or your current circumstances, dear reader. But I refuse to live in an "everything's-fine-so-let's-not-address-what's-going-on," artificial world. I say to you kindly, consider this your disclaimer. There are some very important and powerful truths in the blog, and I would love if you took a few more minutes to hear them.
So, with that being said, let's continue:
God’s Word - the Bible - is the absolute truth. And the truth is that God is GOOD. Don’t believe me? Here is just a handful of the many verses that describes God and His goodness.
-The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. (Psalm 145:9)
-Good and upright is the Lord. (Psalm 25:8)
-Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:34)
-The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth. (Exodus 34:6)
-You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst. (Nehemiah 9:20)
So, what is “good?” The definition of good as defined by Google: “that which is morally right; righteousness.”
Here’s another verse for you: The Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (Psalm 92:15)
God is the farthest from being awful. God truly is good.
So, let me ask you a question: what is your perspective of God?
Do you see God way up in Heaven sitting on a Medieval-looking throne with a Dumbledore-like beard, looking down on His creation from a distance, and letting what you call “life” happen to you?
Perhaps, He looks like the kind of God that furrows His brow and throws a temper tantrum and disciplines His children out of anger to you.
Or, is He the militaristic dictator on your heels with a clipboard ready to whack you every time you make a mistake and keep track of it?
Is He the God that, in disbelief, and shakes His head at you when you fall back into that sin again?
Is He the God that gave you your pain and struggle because “you deserved it”?
If this is how you see God, then you aren’t seeing Him as good. And if you don’t see God as good, then do you truly know Him?
Time for a cold-water-in-the-face moment: if you have been viewing God any other way than good, you’ve been “bamboozled” by the devil - the father of lies (John 8:44).
The enemy has trapped you into believing that God is not good, and that He is withholding something from you (Genesis 3:1). Satan may try to comfort you and console you and get you to whine and complain about your current status of life. But as soon as you fall into that mindset, it’s a dangerous, downward spiral. It is a trap that slowly, but ultimately, gets you farther from God. Satan strings you away from the truth. Because when you give the father of lies a foothold, you allow him to lure you into what you think is truth, and in turn, you aren’t allowing the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth.
When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. (John 16:13)
How could something be so awful that we liken God to it to describe it? It’s as though we assume that God is the one behind all the pain and suffering we go through. And we blame Him. God, You did this to me. You took my friends away from me. You gave me my sickness. You caused the storm that washed my home away. You are doing this to me to punish me. You. You. You. We point a finger at God for all the wrong in the world. And we ask the question that seems to attack God’s very character and nature to fit our narrative: Well, God, if You’re so loving, why are You letting this evil happen? Why are You doing this to me?
Let’s take a journey all the way back to when time began and God spoke creation into existence. Let’s go back to Genesis. Let’s enter into the Garden. Remember: God created a beautiful, perfect place for us to dwell with Him. But, we are the ones that turned our hearts away and sinned against Him, a good God. When sin entered the world, it went from being perfect and holy to tainted and fallen.
But, I am truly sorry, dear reader. The tragedies, hardships, trials, and tribulations that you have endured are not easy to go through, and I am in no way making light of them nor brushing them off. Like I mentioned, the world is a fallen, dark place, where sin runs wild, and bad things happen. I just want to tell you that it’s not God, and that we shouldn’t blame Him. He didn’t create a fallen world.
However, I would note that we are all human beings that have all sinned and fallen short (Romans 3:23). Our actions have consequences, whether they are positive or negative. Those actions that go against what God's Word says - that is our choice. Jesus warns us that one who doesn't obey His Word is like a man who builds his house on the sand - a calamity when a storm strikes (Matthew 7:24-27). Again, we cannot blame God for being just and true to His word and perfect character when we choose to turn against Him.
I want to go back to the conversation I mentioned at the beginning, and I want to be honest with you. When he used the phrase, “G*d awful,” I didn’t do anything about it. In fact, in the moment, it caught me so off guard, I didn’t know what to do. So, I just sort of chuckled, let the conversation fade off, and changed the subject.
I remember feeling so bad for not standing up for God. It was a little before Easter time, and the thought crossed my mind: Jesus stood up for me. Why didn’t I stand up for Him?
I know why. I was fearful. Fearful of what he would say. Fearful that I would be judged for being “holier than thou" and for putting him back in line with what God’s Word says is true. When you’ve been called a "goodie-goodie” all your life, it can feel a little more like a slap to the face when you try to share the truth (kind truth) and in return, get scoffed and mocked at for being “good.”
But, no matter. There’s no excuse. I should have stood up for God and said something. And even though I’m saying something now, I wish I could go back to that moment and say something to defend God as He has defended me every time.
Here’s the good news (finally!):
Sin, death, darkness, and evil have been conquered because of Jesus Christ! We have hope. We have grace. We have mercy. We have victory. We have life abundantly in Him when we believe the truth that God is good! What amazing news! I’d throw ten Gatsby-sized parties to celebrate this news!
I want to conclude with this: Our good, good God would like you and I to get to know Him. And, I mean really know Him. The Creator of the universe, the God Who made you, Who knows every hair on your head, every thought in your head, and every tear that you’ve shed - He wants a personal relationship with you.
Here are three ways to get to know our good God a little better:
1. Read His Word. The Bible has story after story that reveals God’s good, faithful, and loving nature. If God is never-changing, that means the good God in the Bible is the same good God today.
2. Talk to Him in prayer. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Just talk to Him as you would a close father or dear friend.
3. Reflect on all the good things of your day - big and small. I think you’ll start to see God’s fingerprints of His goodness in your life when you adjust your perspective and willingly choose to have a thankful heart.
Trust in His goodness.
- - -
For further research:
-How can a good God allow evil into the world? - An interview with Dr. Ravi Zacharias
-The definition of "good" - https://www.google.com/search?q=good+definition&oq=good+d&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j69i57j0l4.1124j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
-Scripture verses about God's goodness
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