seven
Seeing God More Clearly

I can remember the first time I put my glasses on. The images around me became clearer and crisper. I could finally read the words splattered across giant billboards along the highway. Individual leaves on trees came into focus again. The world around me was no longer blurry. Prior to wearing glasses, I falsely believed I was seeing the world around me clearly, but I wasn’t. The contrast between what I could see without my glasses versus what I could see with them on was huge.

In the same way, the focus of our heart and mind becomes blurred whenever we allow things like unrealistic expectations or pride to affect how we view God, our life, or other people. Our God longs to help us see him and all that happens in our lives clearly. Because of that, God allows contrast to happen within and around us as part of our sanctification and uses it to ultimately turn our focus back to him. The longer we follow, love, and obey God, the clearer we’ll be able to see. This is by design.

Things within and around us should start to look different as we view them through the lens of God’s personhood and perspective. His ways are often different from our ways of doing things. Not only is there contrast within and around us, there’s also contrast within the personhood of God himself. We’d be wise to embrace all the complexities of our God, for doing so increases our awe, trust, and security in him.

As with the other principles in this book, we should welcome contrast whenever we see its presence in our life. We may think we are perceiving things clearly. But maybe we’re not. Thankfully, our gracious God notices when we’re unable to see our reality correctly. He has designed contrast into our lives by allowing things like unmet expectations and/or dissatisfaction with things that once fulfilled us, or by bringing people who are wired differently than we are into our lives. Though what it reveals may sting, this principle helps us to see ourselves, our God, and those around us in a much clearer, truer sense when life doesn’t go as planned.

Contrast: Opposites That Catch Our Attention

Contrast in art refers to the positioning of opposing components in a work of art. It occurs when two or more related elements are strikingly different. The greater the difference the greater the contrast.1

Similar to patterns, physical examples of contrast are easy to spot and are quite prevalent in artwork or in the interior spaces around us. When used correctly, this principle creates variety, drama, and interest within a room or piece of artwork. It helps to make an element more intense or noticeable. A designer or artist will use objects of opposite sizes, textures, shapes, or colors to achieve contrast.

Take, for instance, what happens when complementary colors are used together. Imagine the “color wheel” that you probably learned about in your high school art class. Complementary colors are across from each other on the wheel. The complement of red is green. Yellow’s complement is purple, and the complement of orange is blue.

Let’s say you go to the store to buy some new pillows for your living room couch. You see one pillow that has orange and blue stripes on it. The pillow beside it is orange-and-white striped. On which pillow does the orange appear brighter or bolder? Which pillow is more dramatic? The orange-and-blue one, of course! The color orange appears more dramatic or intense because it contrasts more with the color blue than it does with the color white.

Or, imagine thirteen-by-thirteen-inch floor-tile patterns done in the contrasting colors of black and white. I recently visited an office building that had black-and-white-checkered marble flooring in all of its hallways. It was stunning and dramatic, unlike most office buildings, which typically use the same color of carpet throughout their hallways.

Most corporate hallways are monotonous for sure, but too much contrast can also be a bad thing—it can make a room feel disjointed or overwhelming. And a space that lacks contrast acts like camouflage, making everything blend in a little too much. In other words, no contrast = a boring room or piece of art.

Likewise, we see contrast between who we were before knowing Christ and who we are as forgiven children of God. Regardless of how checkered our pasts are, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” I love this. The old us is gone. The new us, being sanctified into the likeness of Jesus Christ, is our present and future reality. The level of contrast between what we used to be and who we are now should become more evident as the years pass. In addition, God will bring people and circumstances into our lives that are the opposite of us, or opposite of what we wanted or hoped for, to help us mature in godliness and to help us see him and ourselves a little clearer.

I believe the hard-to-love person, a broken dream, or unmet expectations may be the divine set of glasses that God is asking us to look through for a while. They may be the very thing we need to help us see better—and, in turn, help others around us see better too.

Fellow spectacle wearer, we are in the world, but not forever dwellers of it. We were once blinded by the things that matter to the world but clearly see now the things that matter in heaven. We grieve but do so with hope. We have the power to turn the other cheek instead of retaliating and fighting back. And we have the ability to overcome sin while choosing not to indulge in it. This is what contrast produces within us. I dig it and want it for the both of us big-time. Why?

You and I are designed to stand out. A child of God does not belong in camouflage. No, give us some orange and blue or red and green to wear. People should see the difference in us the longer we live out God’s designs for us, causing them to wonder why we believe and live the way that we do.

We are not to fit in with the rest of the world, nor are we supposed to be “normal,” whatever that means. There is nothing boring or predictable about us, our God, or our redesigned life. We were created to be couture, or one of God’s kind.

Lord, help us to really see.

We are contrast.

Parenting the Child I’ve Been Given

Teri Lynne Underwood

“Parent the child you have, not the child you wanted,” she told me as I sat next to her, my belly bulging with the miracle baby we’d been told we would never have. I remember thinking that the child I was having was the one I wanted, the one I’d longed to have for almost five years.

When I nursed Casiday as an infant, I told her about all the adventures we’d have, all the ways I’d encourage and support her, all the dreams and plans I had for her. I sang all the old hymns over her, hoping to embed in her heart from day one the truths of God’s amazing grace and how great is his faithfulness.

But as she got older, something happened I hadn’t included in my plans. Casiday Hope became her own little person with her own personality, preferences, and plans. And sometimes, her dreams for her life didn’t match what I’d so carefully spoken over her during those late-night feedings.

In many ways, she was almost the opposite of what I’d imagined my child would be. And I had to make a decision: Would I parent the child I have or the one I’d always thought I wanted? I wish I could say I’d quickly and definitively chosen the former. But the truth is, letting go of all those expectations and plans didn’t always come easily.

I wasn’t always the mom I hoped I would be. I’ve said and done things I would give anything to erase. There have been days when I forgot to give grace and days when I held on to my expectations far longer than I should have.

But there is this beautiful truth, even in all the messiness of imperfect mothering: the child I have (and the mom she has) are just what God designed. He knew Casiday was who I needed to remind me to slow down and savor the moments instead of rushing through life. And he also knew she’d need me to push her to try the scary things and to hold on to his Word when life is overwhelming.

In just a few weeks, she’ll graduate from high school and I’ll move into parenting an adult child. (All those people who said, “Don’t blink!” were right.) I’ve thought a lot lately about the wise friend who reminded me to parent the child I’d been given. Because whatever I imagined about the mom I’d be and the child I’d have, not one of those dreams can begin to compare to the eighteen years of unimaginable joy and inexplicable beauty I’ve had watching this girl of mine move into adulthood.

Contrast within the Pages of Scripture

I love how Teri Lynne has embraced the fact that her parenting journey is turning out different and better than she originally planned. Teri Lynne also grew in her appreciation of God’s providence—that when he gives a gift that is exactly opposite of what we want to unwrap, it has a potential and a beauty all of its own.

Let’s unwrap a little more about God’s personhood because it too contains a good type of contrast. For example, God is not just love, or only love. Our God is also wise, merciful, and patient. All of these attributes of God gel well together. But then I started to wonder if there’s another dimension of his personhood that contrasts with some of these attributes. So far we’ve seen how each of the design principles mentioned in the book is found in the ways or personhood of God. Can this principle be found in him too? Yes! Our God is also a God of wrath, which stands in contrast to him being a God of love.

The Contrast of God: His Love

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 John 4:7–8)

I was glued to my television screen hours before I sat down to write this section of the chapter. Prince Harry of England married the beautiful Meghan Markle in front of a worldwide audience. The ceremony was beautiful. Commentators were quick to offer their critiques of the day, saying the wedding ceremony had Meghan’s influence all over it. It was not the typical English wedding due to many reasons, one of which included the fiery sermon given by American Bishop Michael Curry. He passionately and clearly proclaimed the love of God to every single one of us. I had tears. In a world that continually tries to silence the gospel, there it was, uttered in the midst of the British monarchy and on live TV for an audience of 3 billion. Our God is truly unstoppable. And as the good reverend pointed out, our God is love.

I’d venture to say that most of those watching the wedding were nodding and agreeing. Love, itself, is not a foreign concept to us, for we all experience it. Theologically speaking, the love of God means that he is a giver. Why and what does God give? He gives us more of himself “in order to bring about blessings or good for others.”2

In fact, I bet that you’re probably living in a house or apartment and that you have clothes to wear and food to eat. Given the material blessings in your life, you would generally say that yes, God loves you and cares for you. However, the Bible teaches that the ultimate example of God’s love for us is not evidenced by things like finding a good parking spot at Target or in having a home or satisfying job.

No, the ultimate and radical proof of his love involved him sacrificing his beloved Son, Jesus, on a cross. Whether a sermon is being presented at a royal wedding or in a regular Sunday church service, any message about the love of God will be well received. But how well received would the sermon be if it focused on the wrath of God? Wrath? Our God of love is a God of wrath? Why, yes, yes he is. Many are offended or dismiss this attribute of God. But I don’t want us to miss this because it matters.

The Contrast of God: His Wrath

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness. (Rom. 1:18)

The love of God deserves our attention, worship, and gratefulness for sure. But there is a good and different type of contrast within the personhood of God. Just like the contrast between the pre-Christian “us” and the redeemed “us” is essential, there is contrast within the personhood of God himself that is also crucial.

Yet if God loves all that is right and good, and all that conforms to his moral character, then it should not be surprising that he would hate everything that is opposed to his moral character. God’s wrath directed against sin is therefore closely related to God’s holiness and justice. God’s wrath may be defined as follows: God’s wrath means that he intensely hates all sin.3

The wrath of God isn’t exactly something we talk a lot about at Bible study or on our social media feeds. But if we say we love God, then we love all of who God is. This includes his wrath, which I realize is unsettling to think about. My friend and Bible teacher, Katie, agrees. As we talked this out, we came up with the following analogy that helps put the wrath of God into perspective.

Imagine that we are best friends with Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan. For a wedding gift we got them a brand-new white couch for one of their many living rooms. Well, I am assuming they have many, many living rooms. This is just a hunch, though. Now imagine Harry’s niece and nephews run into the living room with chocolate-covered hands that they proceed to place all over the new white couch. Oh my goodness, there is no way to hide the handprints. They are offensive and may have stained the couch for good.

Now reimagine the same scene, but this time we gifted Harry and Meghan with a brown leather couch instead. Same thing happens. Only this time the handprints aren’t as offensive because they blend in. So we may not notice them or be slower to clean them up because they blend in better.

Our world is like the brown leather couch. Our God is like the white couch. We can’t change the fact the handprints on the white couch are offensive. We cannot change our God either.

Our culture and the world seem to be lessening the seriousness and offensiveness of sin. We don’t want to talk about it or notice it. So we water it down. Meanwhile, its stains are all over the place and people’s lives continue to be ruined because of it. Sin and acts of evil are in direct opposition to everything that God is. Therefore, God despises acts of evil and will ultimately judge unrighteousness, because his holiness stands in stark contrast to sin. God cannot tolerate it because he knows sin ruins us, whom he loves.

Similarly, whenever we feel hatred toward the sin or injustices in our world ourselves, we are imitating God’s wrath (to a lesser degree, of course), since he feels the same toward these things. I remember watching the news about the Columbine High School shooting and about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that took the lives of twenty precious children. I was filled with anger toward the shooters for taking the lives of those students. I’m sure you feel the same when news like this hits.

It’s our hatred or disgust of evil, then, that often motivates us to speak out or act out against the injustices in this world. To feel indifferent toward evil would cause us to do nothing. So we act, and God does the same. God not only disciplines or punishes evildoers himself, he uses entities like our judicial system, military, and law enforcement to help regulate injustices and to carry out some of these consequences as well.

God’s wrath is in reaction to sin and evil. It is reserved for the wicked and ungodly who reject him (Exod. 32:9–10; Rom. 1:18; Col. 3:5–6). It is not part of who he is because he is hormonal, has bad days, or is unloving.

The Bible teaches that Jesus bore the wrath of God for us upon the cross. God’s wrath is not, nor will it ever be, directed at those of us who love him and who have surrendered their lives in faith to Jesus Christ (Rom. 8:1).

Our God is patient, ultimately wishing that everyone would turn to him, repent, and receive his forgiveness for their sin (2 Pet. 3:9). Why? Because God is also loving, merciful, and gracious. Our God is perfectly complex, isn’t he? He is not more of one attribute over another. And so naturally, there is contrast in him that is complementary and purposeful.

Too many people imagine a Hallmark version of God and don’t understand his wrath. As a result, they don’t take their sin or the gospel message seriously. Some tragically die without knowing the truth and obtaining saving faith in Christ, placing them under the wrath of God. This is why you and I must tell people about both the love and wrath of God. His contrasts are essential from an eternal perspective.

Our Own Road to Damascus, and Why It Matters

One of my favorite stories in the New Testament focuses on what happened to Saul, who became the apostle Paul, as he was traveling to Damascus. It was on the road to Damascus that the Lord literally blinded him and asked Saul why he saw fit to persecute him. See, Saul thought himself righteous while followers of Jesus were blasphemous. God allowed him to carry on like this for a while. Then God moved, or, well . . . confronted and blinded Saul. Why? Because God had a different kind of part or emphasis that Saul needed to play.

Paul went from being a persecutor of Christians to becoming a staunch proponent of Christianity, helping to spread the gospel message of Jesus Christ throughout the Roman Empire. Paul was given a second chance and encountered the love of Christ. He immediately lived a redesigned life. What happened to Paul on the road to Damascus wasn’t part of Paul’s plan. But it was always part of God’s design for Paul’s life.

Paul humbled himself before God and spent the rest of his life loving on the same people he used to persecute. The contrast between who Paul used to be and who he ended up being astounds me. Not only did Paul go on to build and strengthen the early church, he also penned many of the books of the New Testament, which continue to instruct and encourage our hearts today. Paul later admitted the following about himself in 1 Timothy 1:15–16:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

Paul saw the contrast within himself, embraced it, and grew from it. In doing so, he found contentment and the courage to live out his emphasis. I wonder, can you relate to Paul and to the words he wrote about himself? Have you had a moment where you met God face-to-face on your own type of Damascus road? Were you once a skeptic of God and now consider yourself to be his child?

I know this section of the book is a toughie. There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1), so to bring some on you is not the point of this chapter. But the Bible explains that we are to teach and to speak truth to one another, pray for one another, and hold each other accountable for how we are living our faith out (Prov. 27:17; Eph. 4:15–16, 25; James 5:16). I do not want you to just feel good, I want you to become God’s good, inimitable version of yourself. I want us to mature in our faith and become holier and more glorifying to God. I don’t want you to be blind to what is going on in your heart or mind or in your relationships.

My prayer for this chapter and the next is that they would help you to see yourself as you truly are. Not for the purposes of self-condemnation but for purposes of self-evaluation. I know my capacity to sin is great, making my need for the Holy Spirit continuous. But I also know that God is patient toward me as I work through my sin and that his grace and love for me are unending. The same is true for you. We’re full of some contrast, aren’t we? Again, this is by design. We will not be able to experience contentment, peace, or blessing if there’s sin in our life that’s robbing us of seeing letters on billboards and leaves on trees.

So I encourage you to pause before you read the next chapter. Take an honest look at the condition of your heart. This may be a much-needed “road to Damascus” moment for you. Spend some concentrated time in prayer and ask God to restore your vision. Is there sin such as envy, jealousy, pride, gossip, impurity, or impatience in your life? Could it be unmet expectations and the resulting offense because God or someone you love didn’t do what you wanted them to do? What is clouding your vision?

Things will only remain the same if we remain the same.

Blah.

Blurred.

You shouldn’t be the same person you were months or even a year ago. So let’s do some heart work even if you think you are doing pretty good, or that your sin isn’t as bad as someone else’s. Sin is sin. It will leave its chocolaty smudges all over our hearts or all over other people. And sin will interrupt, detour, or delay the plans God has designed for us. His purpose for contrast, then, is to prompt us to repent so we can get back to popping for him. May God help us to understand ourselves so that whenever life doesn’t go as planned we can see clearly and allow the Holy Spirit to help us correct whatever is blurry within us.