Freedom from a codependent God.

http://forum.xcitefun.net/beautiful-picture-of-space-earth-blue-moon-t13275.html

I was meditating today on a reality, which is a mind-bender for me. God's identity and feelings are not dependent on my behavior. A reactive God whose emotions are tied to the behavior of man is a God of human construct. This idea led into some really deep thoughts...and some humbling things...

God is not codependent. God is complete on his own and does not need my perfection to make him happy or fulfilled. Following the way that God leads is for my benefit and/or the benefit of others/the earth. God is completely secure no matter how badly I screw up. I don't need to worry that my mistakes disappoint Papa so much that he is driven to drink. He is not taken by surprise or shocked by what I do. Those feelings are my own - they are useful in helping me realize where I have gone wrong, but they are not a reflection of God's feelings. They come from the limited perspective I have as a human.

In fact, if humans destroy the planet and it explodes, God will not be forever stricken or horrified the way that I am by that idea.

God sees well beyond time and space. The end of the world as I know it makes a fraction of a difference in what he sees and knows. It is my arrogance that thinks the earth and its inhabitants are so magnificent in and of themselves that their destruction would alter the landscape of the universe in any significant way.

That's not to say that God doesn't care. He created us in his image. That means we have the capacity to make this world a beautiful gem in the universe that reflects HIS magnificence. Much like a shining star that we can see in our sky. I believe that he 'smiles' when I do well and 'frowns' when I fall short. His Spirit can be grieved because He is love...He hurts when I hurt because he loves me and he cares about my pain. He wants to heal me. He wants to heal the Earth from what humans have done to it.  But he doesn't dwell on the bad or hold a grudge of condemnation because he is offended. He sees beyond all of that.

His wisdom and knowledge are infinite.
His love and understanding reach beyond eternity.

My deep depravity cries out to His deep EVERYTHING.  Where I see a terrible, overwhelming mess, He sees the solution and is constantly leading humanity to it - if we will listen and follow. That's why  Jesus and the Holy Spirit came to us - to show us God's way. He has given us all we need. He has done His part. The way is marked clearly.

The rest is up to me.

The rest is a choice. Everyday.

Freedom from a punitive, emotionally dependent God is frightening because externally placed, religious boundaries disappear and I am forced to learn how to live in this freedom. But it is exhilarating as well. I breathe in of His Spirit and feel it filling me, clearing my sight so that I can see more like God does. The more often I walk with His Spirit leading, the easier it is to live in freedom.

This is the power of freedom:

We can feast on His Spirit and spend our energy learning to see one another as children of light. We can call out the image of God in each other,  support each other through the worst of the worst. We can make friends out of enemies. We can appreciate the earth as a gift. We can see differences as opportunities to grow.

Alternately, we can keep making war and killing one another. We can continue to neglect the emotional health of our children so that the future breeds more significant numbers of troubled people. We can neglect the spiritual health of people and allow the demonic to reign freely in our midst without utilizing the authority God has given us to deal with it. We can plunder the earth into non-existence.

From the wreckage, God will gather up the remnants and create something new. Because He is God and He IS. The loss will be ours. The gift of life given by the One who is Life will be wasted.

Life will go on.

Without us.

What will I choose today? Life or death?