Why is it that I can have a couple of weeks that were so packed full of meaningful conversations that I should write about - but those are the weeks that I don't have the time to sit and put pen to paper? Such has been my life over the last two weeks.
Last week my cousin came and spent the week with me. Ryan and I grew up together and we've always functioned like brother and sister more than cousins. Even so, our parents chose to parent us in very different ways. This week we really got the chance to digest a lot of our growing up years and what we would do if we had our own kids.
One of the main things we talked about was how our parents approached parenting in two different ways based on if they explained to us the intent and "why" behind all of their rules for us. Ryan said his parents didn't, and I contend that my parents did. Though I didn't always agree with what my parents would say to me I always knew why they set certain rules for me. As an adult I have very much appreciate this fact.
A few weeks ago my pastor was in the middle of his Sermon on the Mount series. Pastor Brady gave an illustration that when parents are raising their kids one of the first rules they tell their kids is "Don't Talk to Strangers." As the child grows up a bit the parents say "Come meet these people" and in turn introduce them to strangers. Then when the child goes off to school the parents say "go meet new friends." When you hop from don't talk to strangers to go make new friends it might seem contradictory. However, the intent behind "don't talk to strangers" stays the same. Children need to be careful with who they let in to their lives and be wise with who they talk to. Parents start with the black and white rule and as the children grow up and mature they explain the intent behind the rule and basically say "you heard me said - well, this is what I really mean".
Pastor Brady said that the Old Testament in the Bible is God's equivalent to "Don't talk to strangers". It is full of dos and do nots. The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus coming back through to say "you heard these rules - well here is what I really meant."
As I see it, God's laws are here to protect us from ourselves and others. Loving God and loving others is not just what we are called to do but it truly is what is best for us. Living lives without hate, revenge, cheating, etc not only helps us live a happy and fulfilled life - but also helps others too.
I think legalism in the Church undermines this entire concept. If God's laws go from being "here is my intent to help you through life because I love you" into "you must do this before I accept you" it really takes away from who I see God is. I don't think God is out to make my life miserable by handing down absurd rules. If that were the truth then Jesus never have taken the time to show intent behind the rules. My parents really were the same way. They weren't trying to make me not popular by not allowing me to party. They weren't trying to come up with crazy rules just to make me frustrated.
I'm thankful for the message of intent behind rules and laws. I want to seek out the heart of God. I want to know the reason behind the rules so that I can believe that God is loving and not a dictator.
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