Saturday, April 11, 2009


“Our motive power is always found in what we lack.”

I read this quote the other day, it was so random, attributed to no author and I nearly just went by it. Then I came back to see if I could make any sense of it and actually, I think it is interesting. I’ll approach it this way; Christians approach God in as many different ways as there are personalities. We come from different cultures, environments, circumstances, educations, whether those are tradition or academic. We are each created by God unique and we all have something God plans to use in His kingdom on earth.
Now my ex-wife was of a very sensitive nature, loved animals, and was very intuitive, both with animals and humans. She read the spirit of a man and drew her conclusions based on what she sensed more than what they said.
Looking back, I’d say her abilities were God given and often very accurate. I was more impacted by the words and not as attuned to people’s spirit. This caused difficulties in friendships, and fellowships and was a constant source of contention.
I remember a specific incident when we had come from church after hearing a sizzling sermon on the power of God, his divine attributes, judgments, and demands and of course, fate of the wicked.
She left feeling judged, condemned and confused.
She was drawn to the creative attributes of God, to the nurturing, compassion and love of God. These topics ran a little short in the denomination we attended which brought her to the state of confusion. One afternoon she was in the kitchen about to prepare herself a cup of tea, filled with the confusion of why she felt “different” from so many in the congregation, and as she reached for the box of tea which had on the front of the box a picture of either a butterfly or a deer,(I can’t remember which), then she sensed the voice of God saying softly, “don’t forget, I created this animal.” She felt a great sense of relief with this intimate moment when God simply affirmed that He was who she believed Him to be regardless of how He was presented by others.

I’ve always remembered that little incident because it demonstrates how God cares for each of us and approves of how He made us. We often do not feel approved by others because of our failure to measure up to the standards of others or their perception of God’s priorities. In some denominations, there is little room for those whose perception and understanding of God differs from their own.
So this is where the quote from above comes in; when we sense a deficiency, this often becomes the motivating power for change, either in our location or our selves. In my ex-wife’s case, it led to location; she left the church and never returned.

It is a pity that we can be so certain of who we think God is and what and whom he accepts, If there is a shortcoming in many of our churches, this must be its greatest deformity.
Photo by Pavel Kaplun

4 comments:

Mel said...

I greatly enjoyed this glimpse into your past, Fred. This post perfectly ties in with questions that have been stirring in my spirit of late. I can feel a post brewing about it, and I pray that I'll have enough time to compose it in such a way as to do justice to what I feel could be a very important discussion, or at least food for thought. I feel an open-hearted sensitivity towards your ex-wife after having read this. Thank you for sharing it.

FCB said...

HI Mel,
I'll be looking forward to that post that is brewing. Can't wait.
Blessings to you and yours,
Fred

Joseph Pulikotil said...

Hi Fred :)

Very interesting post.

Very often we judge people according to our standards and they judge us according to their standards. Since every one is unique and different from the other, a lot of compromise is needed. But God remains the same to all of us. He doesn't differentiate.

Best wishes :)

FCB said...

Hi Joseph,
Yes, so true, we do judge according to our standards or understandings, but as you know, we will be judged by the measure we use. A humbling thought.
Thank God he judges rightly.
Many blessings,
Fred