Good Morning…
This month, our Listening Groups have been soaking the union of 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and 1 John 4:16. Mixed together, these Scriptures describe to us God’s caring, constant character. God is patient, God is kind. He does not envy, does not boast, is not proud. He does not dishonor others, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no records of wrongs. God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. God never fails.
After slowly reading aloud the Scripture, I shared our author’s directive, “Soak in what has stood out to you and consider your overall impression of God from this passage…Spend a few minutes soaking in the thoughts that have come to you…simply rest in God’s presence.” (Jan Johnson’s Meeting God in Scripture, 25)
Soak. I love that word. It feels so effortless. To soak means to lie in, be saturated by, to be thoroughly permeated. To sop, souse, steep. To bathe, marinate, immerse. To drench, flood, absorb. When we soak in God, God passes through our pores, our holes, and our brokenness and we are softened, infused, waterlogged.
Truth dawned as I facilitated: we are like sponges. If we soak, rest, remain in God, over time all that God is becomes all that we are. When life squeezes us, like life often does, what wrings out of us is patience and kindness rather than self-serving envy and boasting pride. When life twists us harshly, if we have been submerged in God, we will not be easily angered and we will not need to keep a record of wrongs. When we soak, truly soak in the presence of God, the joy of the truth permeates us and evil has no room. Because God infiltrates all of us, we protect what is good and, hopeful and persevering, we live in a state of constant trust. As we soak in the God who never fails, we drip-drop-drip unfailing love for all.
The opposite is also true. If we fail to soak in God, we become like a hard, dried up sponge. Impatient and unkind. Crusty with envy, boasting about our self and proud of our own accomplishments. We dishonor others, seeking the limelight for ourselves. We are easily angered because we keep a very precise record of all wrongs. We delight when something bad happens to those we label “bad” and joy escapes us because we have lost sight of God’s tender truth. We do not protect. We do not trust. Hope evaporates as hard, crusty dryness perseveres. Detaching ourselves from the limitless love of God and trying to live on our own limited power, we fail miserably.
The stark difference between a saturated sponge and a hardened sponge serves as a tangible reminder: We are all designed to soak constantly in the love of our living LORD. When life squeezes us today, what will come out?
First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first (1 John 4:19, MSG).
…Sue…