Unfiltered
Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. Exodus 17:4-6
We all want to have happy and loving relationships. Most of you, I assume, learned that you must work at it to be better. For example, my wife is great at accepting the artist known as ‘unfiltered’ Kent. Unfiltered Kent is not some profanity laced mean person, but he is very reactionary and gets upset easily. Yes, I know I am going third person on you all but stay with me here. I know there are times when unfiltered Kent gets upset with his wife unnecessarily. It is then my whole being realizes how much I love her, and as such, it was time to push myself to change because she matters. So, the last few times I felt that urge to lash out in that unfiltered way, I stopped myself, and calmed down. It may sound simple and easy, but after twenty-six years, it is not as if you flip a switch and have instant tranquility. It takes practice and recognition of your reaction over time. Over time, my hope is that I will become more authentic.
This brings me to our relationship with God. I have heard numerous times that we do not have a religion. We have a relationship. This is true, but do we have this relationship where we simply go to God to say, ‘thank you’ and ‘please help me.’ Or is it an authentic back and forth. Do you at times say, “You know what? God, I do not like you today.” I’m not saying that we are not to have reverence for God’s unquestioned authority (or dominion if you want to put it another way), but a healthy relationship should not always be like my youngest daughter, who says, “Dad, can you give me money to hang out with friends.” It is much more authentic. Sometimes He brings us joy, and other times He upsets us to no end. But no matter what, you love Him no matter what, and can go to Him about anything whether big or small.
Our relationship with God requires us to bring our authentic self and not just for follow rules. I was reading someone who wrote quite simply, “If you lie to your children about Santa Claus, ultimately you are sinning against God.” Look, I get the whole premise of this, and yes, I teach the true meaning of Christmas. But when you are pushing to be the parent who ruined the joy of children watching ‘Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer,’ you may not be the best messenger for the Gospel. I have a heart for children that way, and I talked with God about it. I wrote about the relationship Moses had with God a couple of years ago, and if you read the Book of Exodus, you see how often Moses plead to God not only in full submittance of who He was but also as if to say, “Hey! These people are killing me with their demands! You got to help me here!” I loved how God answered Moses’ plead. In Kent translation, God said, “You are worried about getting stoned? Watch me take a stone and make water come from it.” I could go into how God often takes the weapon of your enemy (stones) and makes it the source of your liberation (water), but my goal today is not to focus on the miracle. It is on the authenticity Moses showed going to God with his troubles and God’s response. It is not just about the miracle performed. It is all about the relationship.
Our God wants our hearts more than anything else. Whether it is Moses as listed here, Abraham, who preceded Moses, or David, who rose long after Moses, you will note all of them did not just revere God for what they needed. They were both true to who they were and trusted God as the authority in their lives. At times, they did not feel good about it, but it was a healthy back and forth relationship. This is exactly what God would want from us: to love and submit to Him while being humble and honest to say I am not enough. That is the true and authentic people we are, and that is who God loves. Let’s feel free to go to Him unconditionally and with no filter because after all, He knows us. Who are we to hide our true selves from God? How can we care less of who we think we are and go to God just as we are? My prayer is we can feel confident going to God both authentically and unfiltered. Amen.