Not the Same

Have you ever been to a restaurant and it just wasn't that great? Maybe you got food poisoning or had bad service or any of the other things that makes for a bad experience at a restaurant. I'm sure we all have. When it comes time to go out again, do you let that experience keep you from trying a similar restaurant? Of course not. Why? Because it's not the same restaurant. The servers will be different people, the food will be different, the set-up of the restaurant will be different, and even the music playing might be different. It won't be the same experience. Right?

I found myself once again writing about how I'm fearful of trusting God's love because of the bad experiences I've had with my parents and other people. What if His love is conditional like theirs? What if His love is dysfunctional? What if His love is inconsistent or impure? There are so many more 'what if's' that I could fill a page with them. But, I think God dropped into my spirit tonight that it's like that restaurant. It'll be a different experience. Why? Because it's not the same. He's not the same as my parents. He's not the same as those other people in my life. It's going to be an entirely different experience than I've had before.

Just like I wouldn't let a bad experience at a restaurant keep me from going to one similar, I shouldn't let my experience of love with broken, sinful people to keep me from trusting and experiencing God's good, safe, unconditional, ridiculous, consistent, strong, pure love. He's just not the same as them.