DON’T TAKE MUCH

One of my former players’ dad gave me this calendar. It sits on my desk at home and I usually change the date as often as I remember. The verse stays the same for weeks at a time. But on this one, if Lamentations 3:25 is true it makes no sense. Consider the concept whether you religious or not:

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him.”

Ain’t no way it’s that simple because if there is a superlative God, such minimal requirements for him being good to me seem non sequitur at best. It doesnt’ follow that all I need do is trust and suddenly I merit good.

Let me tell you what it takes to make me good to someone. Norman is good to those who approve him, think him intelligent, consider him an authority of some sort in the things of formation and eloquent waxing. I’m good when I want to be good. Yo just being honest. For me to be good to someone it takes resisting arrogance and remembering that my anger, unchecked, produces bad. Even in marriage, it takes much for me to be good and yet the God of what we call scripture requires hope, waiting, refuge seeking…only!

Time to review. The God characterized in what the Christian Church considers holy writ puts forth that he responds well to humanity when humanity depends on him. And now enters the curiosity of men and women worldwide whether they realize it or not because the one condition God has posited is not to our liking. Think of it like this. You go out to a steakhouse, let’s say Houston’s out in Pasadena, and you’re wearing your favorite baseball cap. You don’t need a menu because your order is scripted…FILET MIGNON MEDIUM. This is the place that does it the way you want it done. This is the one place you’ll be eating tonight because you’ve done the due diligence and tonight is about eating not perusing local fare. Tonight is not about finding comparable cuisine, that is…it wasn’t until you walked in only to be told, “Sir, I’m sorry but we don’t allow head-wear on men in this restaurant.” Now it’s hat or dinner and you choose hat. Filet Mignon, the way you want it, will have to wait ’cause yo, “don’t nobody tell me I can’t wear a hat in public.”

At least in theory, it don’t take much with this biblical God. Question is, when did people start making it take much? When did placing hope in, seeking refuge in and waiting on become so trivial, so disputable, so aversive? When there’s tragedy, even the non-religious cry out from soul for the good of God, whoever and wherever he might be. So if Pearl Harbor, Somalia, Slavery, Vietnam and 9-11 are any indication, there’s no use in asking whether or not we as humans desire the good of God. The question is why though it doesn’t take much to get the “good” we’re not willing to give what little it does take.