If
you’re a fan of “The Voice,” you probably remember when Sarah Simmons gave a
gritty rendition of “One of Us” during this year’s blind auditions. A cover of
the song was featured in Tyler Perry’s 2005 hit “Diary of a Mad Black Woman”
and even Dr. Evil sang it in “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” in 1999.
The song has gained in popularity both on the billboards and in parodies since
Joan Osborne released it 13 years ago.
The
song’s lyrics pose various questions that implore the listener to consider life
if God were just a regular person—one made of flesh and blood; one with flaws
and issues; one who walks in plain sight and blends in with the crowd. Some of
those questions (paraphrased) are:
- What would His name be?
- Would seeing Him mean you’d have to believe in Jesus?
- What is the one question you’d ask Him?
What If God Were One of Us?
“One
of Us” represents a desire to connect with a God who does not just look down
from heaven but who is close to us and tangible. The thought of God being
nearby is comforting, especially when you consider how vulnerable we are at the
times when we need Him most. At some point, most people have asked God “Why?”
as they’ve faced turmoil, confusion and chaos. They’ve sent up their questions,
hoping for an audible response. Today, as the nation experiences international
unrest with North Korea, recovers from the fear-mongering that tarnished last
month’s Boston Marathon bombing and watches the aftermath of the devastating
tornados that pummeled Oklahoma, people look to God for answers.
This
is nothing new. Even Moses wanted to see God’s face and felt blessed to be in
his presence. Still, this faithful servant was only able to see God’s back,
because seeing the magnificence of God’s face would have killed him (Exodus
33:23). Impending death aside, most people might take comfort in the idea of
God walking among us as his Son did. However, I, for one, am grateful that God
is not one of us. Surprised? Keep reading, to find out why.
Five Reasons I’m Glad God Is Not One of Us
1.
We say, “It's impossible!” God says “All things are possible for those who
believe in Me” (Matthew 19:26).
2.
We break promises. God keeps His
promises (Deuteronomy 7:9).
3.
We forgive (sometimes), but we don't forget. God has compassion, tramples our sins and throws them into the depths
of the ocean (Micah 7:19).
4.
We operate in fear. God does not
give us the spirit of fear; He gives us power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).
5.
We cast the broken aside. God does
not see us as man sees us and He use us, even in our brokenness.
Using a Broken Vessel
It
is Point Number 5—regarding our brokenness—that gets the focus for the rest of
this post because it starts to reveal the rationale behind the title of my
novel, Broken Vessels. Can you
imagine what life would be like if God saw us in our brokenness as man sees
us—defeated, empty and insignificant? If God were like man, He would probably
be quick to dismiss us. He might stop returning phone calls when we’re going
through hard times or talk about us behind our backs when we make mistakes. He
might lie to our faces, telling us He stands behind us while washing His hands
of anything to do with us. He might even hold a grudge for the promises we’ve
made to Him but broken.
The fact that
God doesn’t see us as man does is not only an underlying theme of Broken Vessels; it’s what actually
inspired the title of the book. Broken
Vessels shows both the lengths Trinity will go through to hide her defects
and God’s desire to use her just as she is. It’s at this crossroads where I
think so many people get hung up. Here’s what I mean: Like Trinity (the
protagonist in the story), people hesitate to go to God because “just as they
are” is fragile, faulty and damaged. “Just as they are” is embarrassing and
needs improvement. “Just as they are” is messy and unworthy of a blessing. Who
hasn’t been caught in up in his own negative thoughts of inferiority? I’ve
learned from my own battles with self-doubt that your thoughts have the power
to propel you or imprison you. If you become a prisoner to those thoughts,
you’ll never realize God’s full potential for you.
Half Full, but Fully Valuable
Here’s
another story to drive my point home: I recently read a tale about a water
bearer in India. Each day for two years, he carried two large pots—one on each
end of a pole. He’d go to a faraway stream and fill the pots with water, then
carry them back to the master’s house, balancing the pole across his shoulders.
One of the pots was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water, but
the other pot was cracked and water trickled from the leak. By the time the
water bearer reached the master’s house, the cracked pot was only half full.
Frustrated and embarrassed, the cracked pot apologized to the water bearer for
not meeting expectations. The water bearer responded that the pot had no need
to apologize because it, too, had a purpose. The water bearer asked if the pot
had seen the beautiful flowers that lined the path they took each day. He
explained that he’d planted flower seeds along that path, then purposely
positioned the cracked pot on that side of the path to water the seeds. Those
flowers bloomed and the water bearer picked them and used them to decorate his
master’s house.
I
think this is the perfect example of what God can do with us through our
brokenness, if we allow Him to. Despite our flaws, we—like the cracked pot and
like Trinity—can become useful vessels. We can make a real difference in
someone else’s life if we’re willing to find out just how valuable a broken
vessel can be.
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