Surround Sound

Have you ever sat in a surround sound theater when one of the speakers were louder than the others. Surround sound is meant to work together. The speakers are made to each project a different, but equally important sound of what you are meant to hear. If there is only one speaker working at your left side you can miss a very important whisper that may have been intended to come from your right. As we are watching our lives playing out in front of us, are we listening from one side of our theater about who our God seems to be, or are we looking and willing to hear the surround sound of a Grand, Magnificent, and Loving God? Who is God to you? What have we been taught about the atonement of Christ?  Do we see God as the big bully in the sky, just waiting for us to make a mistake? Do we see the God of creation breathing life into existence? Do we see the Exodus, a God who hears the cry of His people and comes to their rescue?

"If Jesus Christ really did rise from the dead, everything else is just Rock-N-Roll," NT Wright.

In saying that, these are just another look at the theory of Atonement. Jesus Christ is Lord. God is our Savior. Nothing there changes, but what may change is our look on God, our look on life, our look at others. The most important part of our journey through life is that we learn to love and forgive, that we learn to live openly in truth. That we learn His love and forgiveness so that we can do a better job at this ourselves. He has commissioned us to go into the world and share with others who He is. We need to have a better understanding of Him so that we can better love others, don't we!

Left Side.... 

Atonement is a formula A+B=C (a legal issue)

God is holy and just + We sinned + Justice must be served = Jesus became our sin so God's justice could be satisfied by punishing Jesus instead of us.

Right Side...

Atonement is a rescue mission= it is a relational issue that is a matter of the heart.

Our hearts have turned away from God. Sin is something that results from a broken heart. It is not something that is tangible, but something that is relational... Relational Infidelity

Right after I left my ex-husband, while we were still married, I went to a counselor that had always told the couples to work out their situation together. He NEVER advised divorce with the thousands of people that came to him for help with their infidelity. He never did, until I came in that is. He told me to not go back to my husband. It wasn't that my ex-husband was so bad. It was because my heart was so wrong. I did not understand what love was. I did not understand really anything about God and what He wanted for me. I couldn't love, forgive, live correctly because my heart was so broken. 

I have known other couples that have experienced much worse than I did, but their faithful spouse still remains faithful and they remain married. The difference with their marriages and mine is that the faithful spouse knows and represent the love of Christ through their life with the one they pledged their life to. Their spouse cheats, lies... basically degrades them, but they keep their focus. Their focus is on their Christ. What was His call? "Follow Me." (I am not saying that you should remain in an abusive relationship. Call the cops, get out if it need be.... But represent His love and faithfulness in the process without becoming bitter and resentful.)

As I watch others living for Christ and being His true representatives here for us to see, I see our role here on earth differently. When we are diving into God we can see through other's actions into their heart. I see innocence persecuted. I see others suffering and remaining faithful to their faithful God. I can see His faithfulness through their lives. I can see His suffering for us, through our suffering for others in the here and now. Can we hear the different speakers working? Are we settled with just having the front speakers working, or are we seeking and searching for more? I know that when we feel God to be boring or mundane, maybe it isn't Him, but we may be just hearing from one speaker. For our God will never settle for boring or mundane. One of the hardest things I have ever done, and still try to do, is that I try and be mindful of my own hearts intentions. I am not a victim. I can choose to be strong or weak, but it is my choice. I must also be ever present in the fact that others are watching me, just like I am watching, waiting to see Christ represented in our lives; how we handle suffering, pain, joy, happiness. Others are watching us. Are they seeing Christ's life living in ours? Do we know how to love in truth? Love in truth loves well for others, for ourselves and most importantly for our God.

Just a piece of a very complex puzzle ;)