Heart of God

"'My son,' the father said,

'you are always with me,

and everything I have is yours.

But we had to celebrate and be glad,

because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again;

he was lost and is found.'"

Luke 15:31-32

The boy wanted it all.  He was tired of being under his father's thumb; Can't Dad see I'm ready to take on the world?  Why won't he trust me?  he thought.  He had everything he needed, yet it wasn't enough.  What he really wanted was freedom, liberty to spread his wings and find his own way in the world.  I am ready, and I'll prove it to him. 

He was a little surprised his dad gave him his portion of the inheritance.  The eighteen-year-old boy convinced the man that he knew what was best for his life.  Now that he had the money is his bank account, however, it was a little overwhelming.  He decided to take a trip overseas to blow off a little steam before he settled down into preparing for a career.

Much to his chagrin, the boy spent way more than he intended and soon found himself out of money and stranded in Europe. He managed to hitch a ride home on a freighter, working in the galley washing dishes for the sailors and seamen.  Once he made it home, he vowed to never take his father's house for granted.

A week later, he was walking up the driveway toward his home and soon he saw his father running down the lane to meet him.  Wow.  Dad is really glad to see me.  I thought he'd be mad and give me a lecture about blowing my money, but he must really be happy I'm home.

The story of the prodigal son is such a beautiful illustration of God's love, mercy and grace for me, the wayward sinner.  God takes me back as quickly and without question as the father in the story does for his son.  Not only that, it strikes me that the response of the dad to the other, obedient son shows the heart of God.  God is merciful, compassionate and relational.  As a daughter in His family, these should be important characteristics in my life, as well.

Mercy

"That's not fair!"  When working with children, one often hears this phrase.  It's not only children who cry it out in frustration when things don't go their way, though.  I often hear when tragedy strikes that, "She was a good person.  She didn't deserve this."  Another occasion when this sentiment is expressed is when someone is laid off from work or loses their health insurance or goes through some other unforeseen difficulty.  Our first thought is that we should get what we deserve, and since we are fairly good people on the whole, we should receive good things.

Unfortunately, no one is ever as good as they think.  I can think I deserve better because I only compare myself to criminals, prostitutes, drug addicts or other such, "real sinners."  In this way, I can measure up to my own standards and turn out feeling pretty good about myself.  But when I place myself side-by-side with Christ, the perfect Lamb of God, I cannot stand.  I fall way short, as every human does. (Romans 3:23)

Because of this shortfall, I deserve nothing good.  In fact, God says that what my sin really earns is death.  (Romans 6:23)  He says that I can't earn life no matter how hard I try to be good.  I'll never meet His High standard of perfection.  

The heart of God, however, is revealed by David as he praised the Lord, saying, "he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities." (Psalm 103:10)  If I got what I deserved, I wouldn't be standing here today.  Instead, God gives me life.  

Since God does not give me what I deserve, why do I find it so necessary to make sure others "get what's coming to them?"  My need to put people in their place runs contrary to the heart of God.  He is all about extending mercy, giving second chances, and believing the best of His people.  As His daughter, there should be some kind of family resemblance.  

When a cashier or coworker is harsh with me, instead of succumbing to the temptation to chastise their attitude, I could give them a smile and a kind word of encouragement.  On the days when a driver cuts me off when I'm late for an appointment, instead of ranting and raving about their horrible driving skills and inconsiderate behavior, I could send up a prayer for them.  For the times when I'm faced once again with a door-to-door cult-peddler, instead of trying to show them where they're wrong I could try to get to know them and offer to take a moment to pray with them.

God doesn't give me what I really earn, and as His daughter I can also extend mercy to those around me, even though they don't deserve it.

Compassion

Her eyes were cold and she refused to take the flyer I offered to her.  The woman muttered, "I don't live around here." and walked purposefully past me, intentionally keeping her hands at her sides as I continued to hold out the paper bearing the image of a beautiful, innocent 15-year-old girl.  Gabbiee Swainson had been missing for seven weeks, abducted cruelly from her bed while she slept.  My daughters and I were spending some time canvassing local areas to get the word out about her disappearance, making sure people didn't forget Gabbiee.

Much to my surprise, a few people reacted as this woman did; with complete disregard for the plight of this girl.  Jesus said the sign that He would soon be coming would be that the hearts of many would grow cold, but to see it in such a palpable way unnerved me. (Matthew 24:12)

Unlike the rest of humanity, Jesus was known for His compassion.  When He met someone who was hurting, like the Samaritan woman at the well, He interacted with her in a loving and kind way.  He didn't sidestep the truth, but His love always won out.  (John 4:1-26)  He offered what He knew she needed: living, healing water.

In the same way, He always takes me back no matter what I've done.  When I vow to follow Him it doesn't mean I'll be perfect from then on.  No, I still deal with sin and need a continual flow of His grace in my life to help me live for Him.  Once a sinner, always a sinner.  My need for Jesus only grows over time as He makes me more and more aware of my shortcomings.  But His compassion shines through when He shows that He still considers me to be His daughter.  He doesn't disown me when I cross a certain line, fall one too many times, or fail to obey as He's said.  Instead, He takes me back.

My prayer can be, as Bob Pierce said, to "Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God."  As I see the suffering all around me, some blatant but most hidden, I can act as Jesus did, with a heart to point the hurting back to their Creator.  Only He can heal a broken heart, repair a deep-seated wound or mend a tumultuous relationship.  A heart led by compassion will see with the eyes of God instead of the irritable, impatient and cold eyes of man. 

Leighton Ford, an evangelist who has worked closely with Billy Graham, is known to have said, "God loves us the way we are, but he loves us too much to leave us that way."  It is important to give God a chance to act, and to not think that I need to do his work for Him.  He does a much better job at pointing out sin in our lives.  For this reason, my job is to kindly and considerately guide a brother or sister back to our Father so He can do His purifying work.  

The compassion of God is best demonstrated in His love for me and His willingness to sacrifice His Son in order to deliver me from eternal suffering.

Relationship

Most people who have a family want to enjoy their company as much as possible.  This is not more evident than in the life of my mother who lives far way from her children and grandchildren.  It takes effort and resources to get everyone together for a holiday or special event.  My mother's heart, however, is always focused on being together.

God, too, is all about relationship.  He wants His family close and desires my company above all other things.  My obedience to His calling and teachings demonstrates my love for Him because it shows I trust Him enough to do as He says. (John 14:23)  The time I spend with Him also shows that He is a priority and that His love for me is reciprocal.  I can only love because He first loved me.  (1 John 4:19)

For this reason, people should be more important to me than their behavior.  The well-being of my relationships should supersede my desire to be right.  It could be my highest priority to live at peace with everyone.  (Romans 12:18)

God has given me enough grace to bear with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2-3)  It takes a heart for relationships, however, to cut others a break, drop high expectations and let them walk their own walk.  As I pray for those around me, God will give me the eyes to see what's important to Him and how He is at work all around me.

My relationship with God is what is important to Him, and I can adopt this same outlook as well.

My God is a God of mercy, compassion and relationship.  Many times, however, I do not follow suit.  Instead, I tend to be ruthless, cold and all about me.  As I get closer to God and get to know Him, though, He begins to reveal His hallmark traits in my own life.  In this way, my Father will be glorified as I trust Him more and more each passing day and as He cultivates in me a heart like His own.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can drop my own point of view and ask God for His.

How do I tend to cut people off when they don't live up to my standards?

When is it hard for me to show compassion to those who are suffering?