This post started out as a sharing at Facebook. I started sharing a Jason Upton song I love (which I was reminded of by this post Unconditional) and well my thoughts just got longer and longer so I decided to post it here instead.
video I was going to share
I love Jason Upton's words and spirit. He's the only Christian artist that I really can connect with. I don't even really like his style of music but it's his words that move me.
He sings about the biblical God one that is close ,quick to forgive not wanting to judge. Instead of the usual rhetoric of a far away huge God that you should feel obligated to sing worship songs(ugh hate most worship music!!!!) to, a God that is just waiting for his chance to stomp on you at the judgement day... or sooner.
Jason sings of a God that doesn't call you to some "christian mold" but one that celebrates diversity,isn't afraid of it,he created it. The live living exciting God of the bible. True Christianity that forgiveness/love is the core of. His music calls me back reminds me that I am never more like God then when I forgive and love. I'm not saying I'm there (all loving the perfect Christian haha what a thought!!)but rather that I am reminded of it and it changes me.
" We love because he first loved us."" Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love "1 John 4
When I look up the definition of love, it isn't trying to mold people into what your idea of the perfect Christian is. It's looking for and seeing the beauty,the worth of another and because of that insight, you naturally would care what is happening with them. A huge difference from the usual indifference from much of the church. On Sundays,people file in and people file out or maybe even worse is deciding who someone is based on your pea sized experience of life,not really getting to know them.
My daughter's boyfriend was really impressed when a local church (he had to visit different churches for a paper he was writing for school,Christian college) cared enough to ask Tommy about his life. Though the guy needs to work on his listening skills. Tommy didn't need to pray but he was dragged up to the altar anyway. Still I don't think people have to be perfect ,Tommy sensed the guy meant well and that was enough. He cared enough to ask Tommy for his number and actually followed through calling him. Chris and I have been to churches that no one even said one single hi.
It was heart breaking to me when I read a quote by Vincent Van Gogh
"What am I in the eyes of most people - a nonentity, an eccentric or an unpleasant person - somebody who has no position in society and never will have, in short, the lowest of the low.
All right, then - even if that were absolutely true, then I should one day like to show by my work what such an eccentric, such a nobody, has in his heart.
No one during his lifetime saw his beauty,his unique worth. Even now people say his work was demonic which is amazing if you really knew his life. He only painted when he was sane. He killed himself,heartbroken at the peak of his abilities. So many masterpieces the world will never know because we didn't value ,love etc.. We look at life and people by the molds that are currently valued. Van Gogh during his time, didn't fit the currently favored values. Are we really seeing what is valuable or missing so much of it? Please don't think this is a preach at you thing it's a preach at me. I'm often so quick to do exactly what bothers me the most. Ironic isn't it? It's seeing,remembering my own failings that despite them God still wants to know me. That is what makes it easier for me to forgive,have grace.
