He is Above All

There have been many instances, whether a sermon, a book, or a story someone is telling, when people speak of how their personal circumstances with others have shaped their view of God. Hopefully, these stories come from places of positive impact from others such as a stepdad who has adopted a daughter as his own, a mentor who has shown mercy and grace on who he/she is pouring into, or unconditional love from a spouse. Yes, hopefully those are the settings from which this feeling of relating God to human performance comes from.

Unfortunately, whenever it's been brought to my attention, it has almost always been because someone has negatively influenced another, thus altering their view of who God is. Maybe it's a dad who has never been present, therefore relating that feeling of fatherly abandonment to the feeling that God might abandon one day. Perhaps it's the rejection of someone you care about, creating the thought that you might not be good enough for Him. Or possibly it's the heartbreak from a significant other that causes you to think that His love just might not conquer all things.

The repetition of these types of testimonies has forced me to ponder my view of God. I have certainly been through some of these different scenarios (only to some extent), but for some reason I don't have any doubt whatsoever concerning the love, faithfulness, or grace of God. And I can most certainly assure you that it's not because I have a stronger faith or less sin in my life than anyone who has had their view of God altered in one or more of these ways. That theory can be 100% ruled out.

I think I've come to 2 conclusions to this thought:

1. I have had countless of those first examples in my life. They say it takes 10 positive statements to counteract 1 negative statement, right? Well, I've had 10 positive examples of people in my life that have counteracted those few examples of those who have hurt me. Women in ministry, families I babysit for, my own relationship with different family members, teachers, small group leaders, children. So many people have stepped up to love me and care for me. So maybe that's why my view of God doesn't change when the few hurtful ones do their job. Or maybe...

2. God is merciful. While reason number 1 maybe relevant, this is most certainly the answer. There are many times I can point to and ask, "God, why did you let this happen to me?" or say, "God, you failed me and my expectations AGAIN!" But God is his never-ending consistency has shown mercy on me over and over and over and over and over again. Ten-fold. And that attribute, His mercy, far outweighs the petty mistakes and evils people have committed against me. Thanks be to God that He is above all and in all, and may my view of Him continue to never be marred by the actions of mere humans.