What God wants to talk about

I want to know what you want to talk about.

That’s simple. I want to talk about whatever you want to talk about. Always.

That doesn’t seem right?

It is though, I don’t live for my own agenda, I live for yours. I am invested, completely, in what concerns you. Yes, sure, I have advice that will help and wisdom about what is best for you – but in my mind, much more important than that, is listening to you.

But surely if your advice is best for us, you should press it on us?

Explain how that would work?

Well… you’d be more obviously directional for a start. You’d speak far more clearly and give us clearer instructions – and far more often if possible.

Do you honestly think that would work?

I would have thought so, yes.

No, be honest. If you could hear me, clearly, constantly, always giving instructions would you enjoy that?

Well… ok, maybe not, but it would be for my own good. Surely?

Actually, no. It wouldn’t be for your good at all. Can you think why not?

I don’t know… would it feel too repressive and overpowering?

It would take away your freedom to choose. When you were a kid you learned to choose, now you need to exercise that ability. To experience the freedom I designed you for, you need to exercise your freedom to choose. Often.

Strict adherence to another’s ideas and instructions is only appropriate sometimes – in the armed forces for instance. But it is not appropriate, although certainly common in fanatical churches and militant religions.

But that approach never works for long. Humans need to exercise choice, their own choices, not the choices of others. You need to consider the advice and ideas of others, mull them over, but be free to mix in your own ideas and adapt the whole concoction to become your own creed.

Ok, that makes sense when dealing with others whose ideas might be flawed, but you’re God! You’re not flawed. Your advice is great. We could do with more of it.

If you want more of my advice you’ll need to pursue it, take hold of it forcibly, ‘demand and keep on demanding’. Wrestle my advice away from me and make it your own.

Why??

Because it’s best that way.

Why, though, it doesn’t make sense? If, you know what’s best for us, why not tell us more clearly?

People reading this will say that you have the bible and many other religious writings, they will say that’s all you need.

Ok, fine, but I think there’s a chance they could be wrong. Sorry but I do. 

How so?

People had three quarters of the bible before you ever turned up on earth as a man, and yet you still thought it necessary to turn up.

And, if you are able to speak so clearly with us, like this, surely it would be smarter if you could give us clearer directions? And yet in these conversations you insist on asking what I want, rather than making it all about what you want.

As I said, I am more interested in hearing what you want. And as far as me bossing you around, no, that won’t happen. You need to be able to consider, mull over external advice (even mine) and mix it with your own internal self-advice. That’s how you’ve been designed.

But, God, you know everything. We don’t need to consider your advice, it’s truth. Surely, we just need to hear it, and do it??

Ok, just for a minute, let’s imagine what that would be like. If I clearly revealed myself and began giving specific instructions and demanding obedience it would be worse than a police state, it would be a ‘God state’.

And what would be wrong with that? Wouldn’t it make more sense?

Everything would be wrong with it, and you’d be the first to complain. You’re not machines, and I don’t want slaves, I want friends. If you gave your friends clear directives and expected them to slavishly obey them, do you think that would strengthen your friendship?

No, of course not, but I’m not God.

No. But if God was like that it would be even worse than a human acting like it. 

Why on earth??

Because you haven’t been designed to slavishly obey, you’ve been designed to be free. To exercise your own choices. To innovate, to make your way, to change the world around you and to change yourself. It doesn’t matter who gives the instructions, nor how good the instructions are, and of course mine would be very good, the problem is that expecting slavish obedience from humans doesn’t work. 

Why? Are we that flawed?

No, it’s not a flaw, that’s what i’m saying, it’s a strength. It’s how I designed you. I made you to be free – self-directional. Remember what David said, and then Jesus quoted, ‘You are Gods’. I designed you in my image, to be like me, to be ‘little Gods’. I want you to be self-directional. To hear advice, mull it over, mix with your own self-advice, and then build the bits you like into your own creed.

If you want strong direction from me, you need to pursue it, aggressively, so that you, not me, are the aggressive force in the mix, because my burden is light.

Well then surely if your burden on me is light, my burden on you should be light too? It doesn’t seem a good idea for me to be aggressive with you?

It’s a great idea! You’ve heard these things many times, but you’ve been fooled into thinking they don’t mean what they patently do; ‘Come let us reason together’, ‘Violent men take the kingdom of heaven by force’, ‘Demand and keep on demanding’. 

You need to make yourself known, demand I take notice, expect that I will respond. That’s faith. I like that. But if I did the same back to you, if I demanded you listen, you wouldn’t like it at all and neither should you. You’re human, I’m God, there’s a difference, Subtle, but nonetheless, a difference. You can take my word on that.