Perspective

Theology is a beautiful art.  Its the art of describing to someone the way that you view God.  Its interesting because the very nature of it is so subjective.  Its impossible to truly know what God is like completely (if we're being honest with ourselves).  The best we can do is paint a picture of the God that we worship.  Its interesting because when I think of God, I begin to think of God's boundless mercy and love for the oppressed.  I also think about God's heart for the fatherless.  I think about God's love for his children that suffer.  So you put all these things together and the picture is of a God who is deeply motivated by social justice and love for the broken.  If you talk to Elisa, you'll hear her talk about God's spirit moving in the church.  If you talk to a worship leader you'll hear about worship.  If you talk to a Calvinist you'll hear about God's glory.  Sometimes two people describe the God of the Bible and the image you see described is completely different. The reason why people have such variance is because they are looking at a closeup of his arm and thinking they're describing his wholeness. I don't think this is a bad thing.

I believe that people are inherently shaped by their experiences with God and their surroundings to the point where no two people can see God the same way (we are individuals after all).  God is going to look different from the eyes of a leper dying in the streets of India than from the eyes of a pastor from a mega church.  Is one person's perspective better?  Sometimes.  But mostly... I believe that we are all given a glimpse of the Glory of who God is. We are granted a piece of the grandeur that is our God.  No one person is capable of seeing the fullness of who God is, so we describe the portion that God has put in front of us.

I can relate to this aspect of God's character because I have 2 kids.  Ella is one and Lily is 2.  Their ages are different, but so are their personalities.  I know what Lily is like and I know what Ella is like.  I treat them differently because I love them.  I also treat them differently because they are different people.  I know that Lily is competitive, so I treat her like she's competitive.  Ella is a sweety, so I treat her like she's a sweety.  My girls both know me a little differently because of who they are, and what they need.  This is the way that God is.

There is so much depth to who God is that he shows us just the right parts of him to let us know him more.   The piece of God we see is so special because we're the only one who is revealed that one special piece of him. It is such an intimate experience, to know that God is showing you that one piece of him that no one else knows.  The perspective we have on God is critical and in all reality its the perspective that we have on him that shows us that God loves us deeply and individually.