The Gospel, Part Two

So, I was a fairly happy child to begin with.  When I look back on those times, I know that I never felt truly alone, though I was pretty independent for a kid my age.  I know now that God was with me then.  And although I may have seen the big blue sky that reached out forever, I was focused on earth, and the people around me. I was all about relationships.  Even then, I liked the one-on-one kind of relationship. Like I had with the old man next door, or with Camille.

This brings me to my first point on the actual topic, which is the Gospel.  The Gospel is all about  relationships. God has created us for relationships. I don’t know if everyone is like me, but I’m guessing we’re all somewhat similar. One-on-one relationships are something I need.  Undivided attention and focus are necessary to go deep with another person. My soul cannot survive if I am isolated.  I believe we all deeply need to be connected, that God has created us this way, and that we are created in His image. This need for relationship is so foundational to being human, so significant, that I believe it points us back to our Maker. He is relational.

When I talk about God, I am talking about the God of the Bible.  I can flip through its pages and find innumerable passages that show He is relational.  Okay, here we go. I just randomly flipped it open, and what do I find? The Ten Commandments.  Here we see God clearly speaking to his people.  And what is the first one? “Thou shalt have none other gods before me.” Is that not wonderful? He is jealous for our hearts, and I mean that in a reverent way. That God condescends to put up with our persistent wandering from him is mind-blowing. It is also evidence of his gracious and merciful nature and his great love for us.

I had a special relationship with Camille.  We were besties. We sat next to each other at coloring time, at juice and cookie time, and took our naps on cots next to each other. She lit up my world, and I still remember her to this day. I would not have wanted to share the special place I had with her.  Alas, sadly, I had to move to a different school and never saw her again.  At the new school, I quickly gravitated toward a girl who reminded me of Camille.  Her name was Pat. But Pat was not Camille, and apparently she thought I was pretty weird. Camille could not just be replaced.

I didn’t have a choice about leaving Camille. And sometimes we don’t have a choice about losing those we love. But there is one who will never leave us, though we leave Him often. I just flipped my Bible open again and it says, “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.” –Isa. 43:1 Is this not the kind of God I would want? One who made me, knows me, and truly, deeply wants a relationship…with me?