Last week I heard two people say that “They hated God!” Now I am not talking about people who don’t believe in God, atheists or people of another faith or belief. I am talking about Christians, who say they are followers of Christ. They go to church, sing songs, even preach. To clarify the situation, they were both talking about a similar situation that had occurred in their life. They had both lost loved ones, who were very close to them and their response to this situation was anger towards God for taking that loved one from them, and they are still trying to recover from this ordeal.
I don’t mean to judge anyone or even claim to have an understanding as to what they feel. However, I too have had someone close me pass away. My grandmother was someone very special to me. I could talk to her about anything and she was always there to encourage me and listen to me and love, me no matter what state I was in. She passed away suddenly of a heart attack. We were on the way home and we got a call that she had collapsed. We rushed over to my mother’s house; the paramedics were still in the room when we got there. I remember standing downstairs as they did not want anyone inside the room and talking to God. I made no threats or promises to Him, No “if you keep her alive, I will do this and that.” I simply said “Lord you know what’s best!”
A few seconds later the heavy boots of the paramedic came out of the room. I knew in my spirit what he was going to say already. I sensed God telling me. The paramedic said they had tried but she was gone.
Tears streamed down my face, I was not ready for her to go. I was still to get married at the time, and I knew how eagerly she was waiting for that. I needed her to be there and to see that and to be part of my celebration, I wanted to tell her how much she meant to me and how much I needed her. But it was all gone now.
I did not feel angry towards God, but right there in a pain, I have never felt before or since I began to say “Thank you” to God. I began to thank Him for blessing me with such a wonderful grandmother. To thank him for the years we had together. To thank him for her guidance and her love. To thank him, for her presence in my life. It hurt so much to loose her, but I was grateful to God for the privilege of knowing such a wonderful person. The pain was so intense in my heart. It still is, I am choking backing tears as I write this and it’s been almost three years!
God is good and even at that time of pain I felt His comfort and presence. He taught me something through it. Even in that pain I was grateful to Him. I know what it feels like to loose someone close and experience the awful pain of separation. The suddenness of it all. The emptiness left after that person has gone.
I understand the loss of a loved one. In this place of pain we are filled with all sorts of emotions. But when I hear someone say they “hated” God, when this experience has occurred, makes me feel a little perplexed. I can see why they would say it, but I cannot understand their logic, or feel that way towards Him. God is love (1 John 4: 8,16) There is not hatred in him.
It seems that they are blaming Him for their loss, like He was willfully depriving them of someone precious in their lives. Like He is a wicked vengeful selfish God, who takes pleasure in removing from us the loved ones in our life. There is a reason I think we have this perceptive.
I believe that this stems from a place of the value system we have in our lives. So often in life we place value on so many things. We value our family and our husband and wife, which is right to do, but where is our value for God? Is He on the same level or lower? When we value the things we are given more than the one who gave them our “value system “ is thrown out of balance. We can then form ideas, thoughts and feelings that are not correct. If I place value on my child more than God, If something were to happen, I would turn around and say to God, ‘How could you do this? Take my daughter away. I hate you!”
Our perception is that God is out to take away the things that we value and are important to us. Nothing could be further from the truth. God wants to bless us with the best of everything and a full life. He came to give us life and life more abundant!
Our life however can be thrown out of balance when we begin to prioritize things in the wrong way. Listen to the words of Jesus found in Luke 14:26 “If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.”
It might appear at first that these are hard words, He even says we must hate our family! Before we jump to rash conclusions let us try to understand what Jesus is talking about. Let’s examine a more contemporary translation:
The message says:.
"Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters - yes, even one's own self! - can't be my disciple.
The Amplified Bible:
If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his [own] father and mother [in the sense of indifference to or relative disregard for them in comparison with his attitude toward God] and [likewise] his wife and children and brothers and sisters--[yes] and even his own life also--he cannot be My disciple.
What Jesus is talking about here is the “Value” we place on Him in comparison to others. Value is something that has worth to it. It’s of importance to us! So in other words: who do we esteem the most in our lives. If we place value on other people or things more than God we CANNOT be a disciple. Hard words but true!
Why? Because our focus or attention our time will be given to the things that is worth the most to us! Jesus is saying that our value of other things in comparison to God must be so far apart that or love for others must look like hate when it come to God!
I hope you understand what I’m trying to say. Jesus is NOT saying we must hate our parents or siblings, but He is saying that our love for them, as great as it is, in light of our love for God, must appear to look small
He is not even diminishing our love for family. He is saying that as much as you love your family, your love for God should surmount that. It must be like a might flood that consumes everything else and make every little pond and river look small in comparison.
Therefore, when we understand this and value is placed in the correct place. We will not have the kind of ideas that run rampant when our emotions are involved.
I loved my Grandmother, but I love God more, I love my wife but I love God more. I cannot hate God for He provided me with a great relationship and someone to guide me. I thank him for the time I have been given. I appreciate His blessings. However when what that love is gone, I still haven’t lost the greatest love of all, and that is Him! When I place the value of God in the right place I understand His blessings and His promises and I therefore can thank Him and not hate him when my loved one is gone.
(Part 2 will be posted next week containing a revelation God showed me in the midst of my pain. Also, how do we see God when we begin to hate Him and know we have to love Him, what does that do to us?)
