I sit in that spot this morning, as a friend has lost someone she dearly loves and honestly in her terrible circumstance, I don’t know how to reflect what God would want her to see. I want to send the note with a disclaimer, “Don’t give up. Sincerely, I have no clue what else to say.”
There are monumental times in life where belief in God and His goodness and unbelief are both choices close at hand, and well-meaning people can say some unintentionally hurtful things. I am scared to be one of them. In trying to pull together my own beliefs, I had to choose to let go of some weird things people had said to me. I couldn’t let the fact that people are normal make me question if God is perfect.
As I sit and think about my friend, I know no matter how hard I try, my reflection won’t be perfect either. Even my best self can never fully reflect my perfect God. I long to whisper, “I don’t know what to say, but I do know He is true and trustworthy, so keep seeking.”
It would be a mistake to give up on the whole Jesus, Christianity thing because people, even friends, even “the church,” can at times be a poor reflection of Him. We can’t expect imperfect people to be perfect reflections of our perfect God. Good intentions or not, I refuse to let those experiences deter me from the ultimate prize, which is knowing and being known by our God.
What you can expect is that seeking until you find Him is worth it. You can expect that looking beyond the murk into the water, not allowing imperfect people to get between you and God, will always be the best choice. Don’t let poor reflections come between you knowing your expectation surpassing, incredible God. The ultimate prize…our ultimate God. Don’t let them distract you or get in the way of your pursuit.
You can tell God when you are hurting, you can tell Him when things don’t seem fair, you can tell Him when people who are supposed to be the “good people” say and do harmful things. God can handle it. Then ask Him to show you the truth about Himself.
So this morning, when I don’t know what to write in a card to my hurting friend, I’ll plead with my God to accurately reflect Himself, to convey His truest truth, and pray that what she hears is His voice. I’ll plead with my God to reflect His kindest kindness to her. I’ll hold loosely, intending to reflect my small piece of His perfect glory forever.
