A Matter of Perspective

When I was a young boy, our family used to go for picnics in the Bear Paw Mountains in Northern Montana, not far from our home, on Sunday afternoons. We would go with our friends and family, and it was a great time for climbing, exploring, and just having a great time. I always have fond memories of those times.

However, on one particular Sunday, after we ate, all of us kids were playing and having a good time. It was a warm day and as a common practice, we boys would take our shirts off. But on that particular day, my dad yelled at me to put my shirt back on. "What?" I questioned him.

"I always take my shirt off!" I exclaimed.

"Just put it on," my dad barked.

And so, I reluctantly put my shirt back on, but I wasn't happy about it. My dad was being unreasonable. Why would he humiliate me in front of my friends who also had their shirts off?

I thought he was being rude and unreasonable, and I just didn't understand it. It wasn't until years later that I began to understand what was going down that day. You see, on that particular day, my uncle came with us. I love my uncle, but he is in prison today for having sex with young teenage boys. My dad was just trying to protect me on that day. But my young mind couldn't comprehend the reality of the situation. My dad did, however. And he took steps to protect me on that day.

I wonder how many times we misunderstand what God is telling us to do, because in our limited understanding, we cannot grasp that God is not against us, but rather, he is only protecting us from some danger unknown to us, but known to him. I am not always obedient to the Holy Spirit's promptings, but my prayer is that I will grow to trust Him more and more, because His motives are always pure, always trustworthy, always with our best interests in mind.

Love ya,

Corey J. Couturier

What does God look like?

When we were little kids, there were movies that came on once per year that we always looked forward to. And even though our TV was black and white, we were excited when once a year movies like, "The Sound of Music" came on. One of our favorite movies was, "The Wizard of OZ." We loved that movie, and I was reminded of that movie the other day for some reason. I was thinking about when Dorothy and her friends finally made it to the Emerald City, and finally found the Wizard of OZ who was going to give them what they were seeking. They were so excited, and when they entered the place, it was a fearsome sight with smoke and sound. It seemed as though at any second they would be struck dead for even daring to enter the presence of the wizard. And then, when the curtain was pulled back, there was a little gray-haired man, not scary at all. And he presented them with certificates for the very things they already possessed.

In the Old Testament, we see God as a fearful and terrible being; a being who could not be touched, and to even see his face would be certain death. This picture of God was burned into our thoughts and minds. I remember thinking to myself, I better not let God see me, because He might kill me, because I've got so many problems. I grew up thinking that God hated me.
The God I grew up with was a jealous God, a vengeful God, and a God who was always watching us, looking for reasons to punish us because of all our sins.

And then, when Jesus came along, it was as if the curtain was pulled back. Jesus said, "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." The problem was, Jesus did not look like the God we were raised with. Jesus was touchable, compassionate, gentle, and loving. Jesus revealed to us for all eternity the true picture of God. Funny thing is, "He looks a lot like we do." except without the sin. And no wonder: We were created in his image. Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and the exact representation of his being. If we want to know God, we must know Jesus. If the God you know doesn't look like Jesus, then you don't know the true God.

Something to ponder on.

Corey J. Couturier