“But when the kindness and the love for humanity
of God our Savior appeared …” (Tit. 3:4, ALTNT)
Ons is besig om oor selfaanvaarding te praat, en het ons in die vorige Manna reeds by die eerste twee stappe in die herstelproses van die verwonde self uitgekom.
Innerlike verwonding in ‘n beleërde self word bykans altyd op God geprojekeer. God is in alle mense, of hulle nou in Hom glo of nie, die onsienlike Magspersoonlikheid, die sametrekking van alle outoriteitsfigure, die apeks van beheer en goedkeuring. As ons voel dat ons deur ander geminag word because we don’t make the cut, projekteer ons dit dadelik op God, asof Hy noodwendig óók so oor ons voel.
In die kultusfliek Fight Club sê die hoofkarakter Tyler Durden: “You have to consider the possibility that God does not like you, never wanted you, in all probability he hates you. It’s not the worst thing that could happen. If we are God’s unwanted children, so be it!” In ‘n vaderlose generasie the buck stops with God.
Die derde stap geloofstap in die genesing van selfverwerping of selfminagting is om te begin verstaan hoe God werklik oor jou voel en dink, en dat dit gerig word deur ‘n brandende, onvoorwaardelike liefde. Ons mis partykeer Joh. 3:16 se inklusiewe begin: “Want so lief het God die wêreld gehad …”. Hy het immers “in die mense ‘n welbehae” (Luk. 2:14). Die ALTNT-vertaling van Tit. 3:4 stel dit besonder treffend: “But when the kindness and the love for humanity of God our Savior appeared …” En 1 Joh. 4:9-10 spel dit uit: “Hierin is die liefde van God tot ons geopenbaar, dat God sy eniggebore Seun in die wêreld gestuur het, sodat ons deur Hom kan lewe. Hierin is die liefde: nie dat ons God liefgehad het nie, maar dat Hy ons liefgehad het en sy Seun gestuur het as ‘n versoening vir ons sondes.”
In sy manjifieke boek: What’s So Amazing About Grace? sê Phillip Yancey dit so duidelik: “Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more …and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less. God already loves us as much as an infinite God can possibly love.”
- Paul Young se The Shack verwoord dit só in die karakter Papa, wat God voorstel: “You … were created to be loved. So for you to live as if you were unloved is a limitation, not the other way around… Living unloved is like clipping a bird’s wing and removing its ability to fly … A bird is not defined by being grounded but by his ability to fly. Remember this, humans are defined not by their limitations, but by the intentions I have for them; not by what they seem to be, but by everything it means to be created in my image. Love is NOT the limitation; love is the flying. I AM love.”
Rom. 4:5 hou ‘n geweldige sleutel hieroor in. Die New Century Version se vertaling hiervan maak dit besonder helder: “But people cannot do any work that will make them right with God. So they must trust in him, who makes even evil people right in his sight. Then God accepts their faith, and that makes them right with him.” Die Message stel dit soos volg: “you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked–well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.”
- Sela: Glo jy hierdie onvoorwaardelike liefde van God vir jou?
- Lees: 1 Kon. 1-2; Ps. 37; 71 & 94
- Memoriseer: 37-4-5
- Delf dieper: Lees een van die boeke hierbo genoem.