Nothing, you see, is impossible with God. -Luke 1:37, MSG
I think he smells fear from a thousand miles away. Maybe that’s why the whole world must be enslaved. He doesn’t need to do a lot of work; he’ll huff, and puff, and everything around him will blow down.
Even the strong ones. And the little ones. And the pretenders and the fakes. They like to quiver; yeah, they really do.
I never understood, in my own heart, what makes it so human to draw a line in the sand and do nothing. I believe the first limit started in creation: when man fell, God read him the cartilla and told him –and her- the consequences of their actions. Birth pains will greatly increase. Man had to work. Man had to realize the weight of his sin. And even worse: the entry to the tree of life was shut down to him. He learned the first rule of humanity: there are limits, and there are conditions to our actions. Let us think: if he knew that eating the fruit from the tree would cost him his life, would he eat it?
Limits have become the worst disease that has plagued humanity –even worse than cancer, AIDS, and really bad pop music starring the Kardashians.
We saw it when Sarai laughed at God’s prompting of her miracle baby. We saw it when Jacob had to lie, cheat, and steal Esau’s blessing –of which Esau didn’t cooperate to maintain it-. We saw it when Moses –a killer, stutterer, pastor and has-been princely eye candy- was called to lead the most stubborn people on the planet. Every time they saw peoples with majestic crops and sanitation systems and really great literature, they laughed…and scoffed…and lost their minds. Would they do it if they come from the desert?
This was the same people that liked to make God cry fire from the heavens. But His love was so great He showed mercy. Even mercy had a price.
Humanity kept scoffing at the weeks and deaf and poor-mute, but history kept showing how limits can be broken, His love extended, and His grace emboldened.
But people kept drawing those lines in the sand. Worse: they were converting those who had done great things into their side!
Elijah was afraid.
Asa made a bad choice.
David paid the price of his pride.
Jeremiah felt the weight of his stubborn people.
Jonah disobeyed…and obeyed…and then got frustrated.
We all have to face our limits –God will help us- but we have to choose to go over, above, and beyond them with flying colors. Every day we struggle, and most of them can’t be dealt with on our own. There is the past…and there is the future, waiting for us in victorious robes. I know the future’s waiting for us, but will our heads point north or south?
And that goes for me too, for I am human like the rest of you.
However, you may ask: what does this thing about limits have to do with love?
Easy: God is love. Limits are not. Hence, God hates limits. God is never owned by limits, not even when we tie Him up with our scathing insecurities. God is impossible. God loves impossible. And nothing is impossible in God’s hands.