Down and Dirty Love

One of the things I love most about driving my kids to and from school are the questions that come floating up to me from the backseat. This morning, on the ride to school, my oldest daughter asked, "Mom, who wrote the Bible?" I answered, "Well, honey, God did, but the way He did it was to move in the hearts and minds of people to write down what He wanted to say." I knew she already knew that, so I waited quietly for the follow-up question that would show me where her head was really at. Finally it came: "But, Mom, He's God. Wouldn't it have just been easier if He would've gone *POOF*, and there the Bible was?"

There are moments when the answers you give to your children's questions teach you far more than they teach your child. There's something about boiling truth down to a few short sentences a child can understand that does wonders for an adult heart that's been stuffed far too full of complicated, long-winded, theological answers over the past 30 years.

"Yes, babe, it would have been much easier, and God could have done that. But over and over again, God chooses to use people to accomplish His purposes instead. It gives us the chance to have a relationship with Him - that's how much He loves us." The kids all piled out at the curb, and I watched them run up to the school doors, probably not giving the matter another thought. But as I slowly drove away, my mind continued to turn that simple truth over and over.

She's right Lord, it would have been easier. A lot of things would have been easier for God to just take care of Himself. Why did He use an Egyptian princess to rescue a screaming baby Moses from the Nile River and raise him up until the day he would save God's people from the Egyptians, when He could have just *POOF* rescued the Israelites Himself? Why did He use King David, and Solomon, and many others to lead His people when He could have just *POOF* shown up in a blaze of glory and led them Himself? It probably would have gone a lot more smoothly! Why did He use Mary to receive Jesus as a baby and raise Him as her own, when He could have just *POOF* shown up on the morning of the cross? And come to think of it, why all the years of ministry leading up to the cross? All the early mornings, the late nights, the crowds of people that never went away, the clueless disciples, the arrogant Pharisees...wouldn't it have been simpler to just *POOF* bypass all that and get 'er done?

What if? The job might have gotten done in a technical sense, but would any of us ever have known Him? Would there have been any chance for relationship? The apostles would have never felt the burn of the Spirit in their hearts, and the hot tears spilling over as the Almighty, Holy God moved them to pour out His heart onto parchment for the world to read. Moses never would have intimately known God's all-sufficient strength in the midst of impossible odds; David never would have experienced His scandalous grace; Mary would have had nothing to treasure up in her heart; the crowds would have never felt His compassionate, healing touch.

I thought about my own parenting experience. How many times over the years have I wished for a magic wand? One that would allow me to get things accomplished efficiently while bypassing the headaches: *POOF* - the baby sleeps through the night. *POOF* - the 2-year-old is potty trained. *POOF* - the kids stop scrapping with each other...permanently! *POOF* - the 1st-grader knows how to read. *POOF* - the 4th-grader understands long division. It would be so much easier; so much simpler. But then...would my children ever know me? Would I know them? Without the struggle, would they ever have the chance to experience my unconditional love? Would I ever get to know their unique quirks, strengths, weaknesses, dreams and greatest fears? It's in the trenches, when hands and hearts get dirty together, that relationships are forged.

From the dawn of time, God has been patiently weaving our messiness, our failures, our insufficiencies and bad choices into His master plan. He's still doing it today. He could accomplish His purposes by Himself much more efficiently, but we would never have the chance to know Him. His love is not, and never has been, "up there". It's down and dirty, right here - with us. He constantly climbs into the trench to be with us. 2000 years ago, that trench looked like a manure-covered feeding trough. Today, He draws even nearer still - into the filthy trench of my sinful heart.

Love is messy. It's complicated, inefficient, and rarely convenient. It's far more about presence than it is about accomplishment. This next year, I'm going to do my best to remember this in my relationships - as a mom, a wife, a daughter, a friend. When things start to get messy, and I find myself looking around for that ever-elusive magic wand, I'm going to strive to remember that it's just another opportunity to know and be known. To be present in the trench with these people that I love. To become just a little bit more like my King, whose name is Immanuel.