I’ve been wrong before. About a lot of things. Some of them got written down.
Heresy is inevitable when describing God. And this fact leaves me paralyzed when I sit down to write.
What happens if I’m wrong?
Today it struck me, out of the blue, I will be. Often. As I have been. And that scared me. Until I saw it.
There’s a picture on my piano. It was drawn by my youngest daughter, the best artist in the family. It’s a picture of me.
I know this even though it lacks proper detail, color, proportion. In her rendition I have no neck, no knees or elbows. I’m wearing brown shoes and I hate brown shoes. But the hair’s right and I’m taller than everyone else on the page. And across the top, over my head, it says, “I love Daddy.”
To an art critic it’s atrocious.
As a form of photo ID it’s useless.
But to me, her Daddy, the model for this piece, the recipient of this gift, the object of her affection, it’s beautiful.
And every Wednesday we have art lessons – we sit down at the kitchen table and draw together. She’s getting better.
Maybe one day she’ll give me a neck and a proper pair of shoes but I can’t imagine that’ll make me love her any more.
I know the truth matters. I’m no proponent of loosey goosey make-it-up-as-you-go-along theology. It matters what God we’re loving, not just that we love God. I know Paul literally trembled when trying to put God into words – because the words matter. I know. I know. Truth. Accuracy. These things matter.
So does grace. And mercy. Two words I think – today anyway – God is speaking to me loudly. He’s reminding me to show them to myself as he’s shown them to me. And reminding me that clinging to fear of mistakes instead of his grace and mercy is, ironically, rendering him as a graceless and merciless God. An awful and incomplete picture.
It’s no surprise to God when I get God wrong – when the lines and colors are out of place and he’s left neckless in brown shoes of all things. It’s inevitable. I’m a child. His child.
All writers, in fact – of songs, books, blogs – are heretics. Painters and preachers and you too. God is unavoidably trimmed and bent to fit inside our words – our puny minds, our narrow cultures, time and space and paragraphs. Every attempt to capture him is more of a sketch than a photograph. No one has rendered God right.
But I wonder if he looks at all our well-intentioned scribbling and says, “It’s beautiful…Let’s draw together.”
The thought of that possibility makes me brave. Today anyway.
Tomorrow I might turn out to be wrong.
allan spiers says:
Shaun,
Thanks so much for that. I, too, will be brave today.
Orual says:
I love this especially because I was just thinking about this today on my way home. I have recently been reevaluating what I believe about God and Christianity, and realized I have become decidedly more “liberal” in a lot of my beliefs. And what if I am wrong? I don’t want to lead people astray. But as you have said, if I am drawing Him wrong it is out of love and out of belief in His agape love for all of us. And if I err I want it to be on the side of love and grace, not judgment and hate. Because God is love, He will correct us in love.
Jenny86753oh9 says:
Hmmm…grace and mercy. Two words that I have to remind myself of over and over…daily. Great analogy!
HisFireFly says:
I love this Shaun!
He cherishes our efforts because we are His kids, and yet.. it still takes a giant shot of courage to press in and continue.
brewster says:
WOW. Great post. Such solid perspective. And, it is easy to comment here too. 🙂
Shana Farmer says:
Reminds me of Nichole Nordeman’s song…which just happens to be ONE of my faves…. Great Post
Shaun Groves says:
Which song is that?
macie says:
I’m thinking it’s “You called me beautiful..when you saw my shame..and you placed me on the wall…anyway”.
CardsFan says:
Interesting!! It also reminds me of a Shaun Groves song – Should I Tell Them!
Happy Geek says:
This touched on something I’ve been mulling over and praying over, the fitting of God into our words.
“No one has rendered God right.” These words were a balm to a troubled soul.
Noelle says:
That’s such an amazing description. Thanks! 🙂 Today I was told a story about a young boy a friend knew. He asked her about God, what He was doing. The woman told him that God was in Heaven watching us. Then he asked about the trees, then the sky…what are they doing? They’re praising God, she answered. He thought about that. His favorite song was “Puff the Magic Dragon”. He then asked her if it was alright if he sang that song to God. She said yes. So, he looked up to heaven, and sang each word with such a love and faith that come so naturally to kids.
Shawnee says:
Thanks Shaun. I mean it.
And thanks, Orual…
I could have written my comment , word-for-word, identically to yours. It has really stalled me in my recent spiritual growth.
I appreciate that it seems that I’m not alone, and that there’s mercy for me in the places I haven’t quite figured out yet.
Amanda says:
Well that is a very freeing thought. I liked this.
Lindsay @ Not2Us says:
Needed it. Trying to be brave, even though I feel so ill-equipped.
Kristie says:
Loved this!
Janet oberholtzer says:
Thanks!
You have no idea how much I needed this today. I have questions that sometimes keep me from doing/being what I feel like I should/could be doing. I am too concerned that I don’t have it ‘right’ yet, so I’m scared to be honest about where I am at.
Now looking forward to drawing 🙂
Again – thanks!
Kristin Charles says:
Just wanted to say thanks. I also needed this today.
Ruth says:
Wow, great imagery. I struggle with that fear too.
jen says:
Two days ago: Said “yes” to something that seems impossible for me to do.
Yesterday: Sat in my Bible study group and listened to the speaker talk about how it wasn’t because of who David was that made him able; it was about who God was that made David able.
Today: “But I wonder if he looks at all our well-intentioned scribbling and says, ‘It’s beautiful…Let’s draw together.’ ” Oh, thank you for that reminder that my “drawing” might just turn out ok from God’s perspective.
rhonda says:
Beautifully said and so very true.
Made me feel better.
Kelly @ Love Well says:
And here, I always thought God wore sandals. Isn’t that what flannel-graph taught us?
(Brilliant post, Shaun. I love the analogy. And because you wrapped the theology in a story, I will remember the lesson.)
Liz Reeves says:
So well worded, as always. You may get some things wrong, but I think you pegged this one just right. You’re a great writer!
tobit says:
thank you Shaun, I really needed to read this today – being brave is such an adventure.
Rebecca says:
Beautiful Shaun. Thanks for encouraging the rest of us with your bravery.
rebecca in etx says:
after class last night, this is exactly what I needed to read – thank you
Josh says:
getting out my crayons now…
MamasBoy says:
“And reminding me that clinging to fear of mistakes instead of his grace and mercy is, ironically, rendering him as a graceless and merciless God. An awful and incomplete picture.”
Great line. Love it. Divine mercy is such an important piece of God’s character, especially since we need it so much.
“All writers, in fact – of songs, books, blogs – are heretics. Painters and preachers and you too. God is unavoidably trimmed and bent to fit inside our words – our puny minds, our narrow cultures, time and space and paragraphs. Every attempt to capture him is more of a sketch than a photograph. No one has rendered God right.”
While it’s correct that nobody can capture God with complete accuracy, that doesn’t imply that those people are heretics. The dictionary definition of heretic is 1: “a dissenter from established religious dogma” or 2 : “one who dissents from an accepted belief or doctrine”
There are lots of things that are unclear about Jesus. We are seeking to understand an infinite being, and we can’t do that. Getting it wrong here and there is to be expected. However, there are certain established dogma that God has revealed, and apart from that revelation, we could never know (e.g., the Trinity, salvation through Christ, his bodilyl death and resurrection). A heretic is one who denies *established* dogma (esp. as it involves “essentials”), not just someone who has a difference of opinion from your or me regarding how Jesus would approach political activism in today’s world or how he would approach the topic of money and voluntary poverty. For that reason, I disagree quite strongly that one could describe orthodox Christians as heretics. Such an idea goes against millenia of Christian thought on what is involved in heresy.
Thomas Aquinas was given a vision of God toward the end of his life which humbled and amazed him. After that, this man who had written thousands of pages in an attempt to better understand and explain God called all his prior work “straw” and never wrote or dictated another word on the topic, abandoning his life’s work while still incomplete. That didn’t make his past work heretical, since it didn’t vary from established doctrine. However, even he recognized how woefully inadequate it was to describing God with clarity and complete accuracy.
Jason says:
Awesome, reminds me of a VeggieTales episode actually, A Snoodles Tale. At the end the creator of the Snoodles hangs a picture the Snoodle drew up on his fridge.
Kat @ Inspired To Action says:
Brilliant, Shaun. Thank you…
Cara says:
I loved your post today.
I sat in a college class yesterday and listened to the professor (PhD and all) pontificate that life has no purpose and all of humanity is simply a virus, and the earth would be better if we all disappeared. All of this said in a cajoling, gentle tone with a big smile on his face as if delivering such a terrible, hopeless perspective would be more convincing if “grampa” did it. I argued against that idea and the despair it brings (no PhD and all) and felt kinda stupid at the end because I’m clearly not in his intellectual leagues.
But guess what? The God you describe here IS the God I know. And He does love us, even with our simple inabilities and our bumbling errors. He IS majestic, and our Creator, and we are not without purpose or hope, even if we do like brown shoes. For the first time this morning I wasn’t angry when I thought of my discussions with these Professors, I was just sad. For them. I will continue to pick up my crayons and go to drawing lessons with Jesus, because it’s apparent that great wisdom is not found in college classrooms.
Ruth says:
What a great illustration. 3 months ago my first little one was born. Having a child has utterly changed the way I think about God the Father in relation to us, His children. I have come to understand in a whole new light what it means to be a child, and the more I understand about the picture of the parent/child relationship, the more I am utterly humbled. He asks us to call HIM Daddy! Wow. What a blessing our little people are. Thanks for the encouragement and another insightful look at the picture He gave us!
Rachel says:
Francis Chan has a message a couple of years ago about Heb 11:6…could it be restated as “WITH faith, it is impossible to DISPLEASE God”. IE, He know our limitations. Instead of always worrying, is or isn’t this the will of God, maybe we need to just take a step! Risk it! Speak it! And trust He is still sovereign even over if it was a good decision/word or a bad one, and the outcome that comes from it. He is pleased that we are seeking to serve Him and please Him.
Loved this reminder today…thank you!!
sarah valente says:
oh my gosh. oh my gosh. oh my gosh. I can’t imagine ever loving another post as much as I love this one. Maybe I just really needed to read it tonight. Thank you for the way God has used you in my life as I attempt bravery in stepping out and describing Him to the world.
dubdynomite says:
I’m really late to this party, but I have to say, brilliant post.
Kristen Schiffman says:
Shaun,
I can’t quite put into words what this post meant to me tonight. I’ve been really struggling with this – a trembling girl holding a weighty silence in her hand because she doesn’t want to “scribble” Him wrong.
I know I will mess it up. But He sees my heart & knows my intention. And you reminded me of that.
Thank you.
Erin Patrick says:
Shaun,
I needed this message today. I’ve been going through a rough time and I have wondered, of late, how the Lord will ever use a broken old vessel like me. But you are right, He sees us through eyes of love and that love transforms us. Maybe I have been too hard on myself and I should just sit down and color with Him!
Blessings,
~Erin