Our God Sustains Paradox

At the center of our perfect God, in Whom exists all power and knowledge and Who is able to be in all times and places, is love. Power of infinite proportions and the characteristic that best describes our God is love. Knowledge unending, and yet, He is love.

He could have stopped with the angels, perfect beings created to worship and glorify Him perfectly, but our God knew that for love to take place, it must be a choice, an action. We had to be capable of not choosing Him for it to truly be love. To choose is to be human.

And, that is what is so truly beautiful about Christianity. It constantly surprises. It turns the status quo and the world’s idea of right upside down. Christianity does not empower us to dominate the world. We are asked to bring peace to it. Jesus has not called us to destroy our enemies. He called us to love them. God did not promise vaults of earthly riches. He asks us to give generously and need no earthly thing.

How utterly insane the first Christians must have thought Jesus of Nazareth. “You want us to turn the other cheek? But, all the other gods are telling us to smite our enemies.” God didn’t send a rampaging bull to decimate sinners. He sent a Lamb, a sacrificial one at that. He didn’t send a warrior king. He sent a Carpenter.

God does this. He sustains paradox so beautifully. He brings a clarity to something we thought we understood so well. The last are first. The meek will inherit. The weak are the strong. Give to receive. Humility. Peace. Love.

And, greater still, the paradox He sustained two millennia ago: Our Father in Heaven, Creator of All, became human and died that we might live and know His love.