Yep

God?

Hi

There’s no way that’s you!

Definitely me.

So, you said hi? Really?? You make it sound like you’re my mate or something.

Well, you tell me, am I? You’re definitely mine. So, what do you reckon, am I your mate? 

Ummm…

And give me a break, don’t make this all about your behaviour! I’m tired of hearing about how bad you’ve been, how far you’ve fallen short of the standard. Such a boring topic, and anyway, what standard?? I certainly haven’t set one that you must attain to. It’s high time you gave all that up and accepted that I think you’re amazing.

Ok, ok, yes I know, but…

But what?

Well, it’s just that this kind of talk is pretty crazy, right? There are so many people who’d judge me a heretic if they knew I actually believed you’d said all that.

It’s never healthy to worry about what others think, much better to focus on what you think. 

You mean clean up my thinking?

No!! When will you understand my focus isn’t your behaviour or your thinking? I don’t have a standard you must live up to. I’ve said this to you thousands of times, and you’ve taken notice hundreds – what sort of father do you think I am?

You want me to answer that?

Not now, no. I want you to answer the question I asked at the beginning of this conversation. I told you that you’re my mate, and I asked if I was yours. I knew you’d immediately think about your behaviour and whether it qualified you for being my mate, but that wasn’t my question. I’d already made it clear you are my mate, my question was am I yours?

Hmmm. I’m a bit confused.

You wouldn’t be if this conversation was with anyone else.

How do you mean?

If someone else, someone you greatly admired and sort of knew, at least well enough to have coffee with, if someone like that had this conversation with you, it would have gone differently.

How?

You would have started the conversation the same way you did with me, with a question mark – a shrug of the shoulders and a smile, a look that opened the door for that person to speak. You’d have assumed they were going to say something very important. 

Ok, yes, I guess you’re right.

I am. And then, if that person you admired greatly had simply responded with a smile and a very friendly ‘hi’ like I did, you’d have been a bit shocked like you were with me because their show of mateship would have been unexpected, you would have felt a little undeserving, which by the way is a lack of confidence, and for the most part unbecoming. 

Ok, I suppose so.

Take it from me, it’s true. And then, if you’d questioned them about how friendly they were being, told them you were a bit surprised they were talking as though you were their mate, and they’d responded like I did – if they’d said you were definitely their mate and then asked if they were yours; your response would not have been about your behaviour, would it?

Hah! You’re right  My response would have been about their behaviour. If they were a mere human and not God, I’d be thinking about whether their behaviour qualified them to be my mate. That’s what you’re saying isn’t it?

Exactly what I’m saying. So, I’ll ask again; does my behaviour qualify me to be your mate? I’m serious. I’d like to be your mate. You know that. And mates don’t demand mateship, they hope for it. They know the only thing that qualifies them is you, whether you want them to be your mate. 

So, that’s what you’re asking, if you can be my mate?

Yep.

There’s no way you just said ‘yep’.

Actually, there is.

Really, God says yep?

Yep.

Good grief, God says yep. What next??

Eye has not seen…