The Kindest Person

In a message I heard years ago, a pastor shared description of God. He found God to be the most loving person he had ever met. As I thought about it, I decided that my description would be a little different. I found (and find) God to be the kindest person I have ever met. 

I was reminded of this description as I was reading Deuteronomy. Moses is getting ready to send the Israelites into the promised land, a place where he would not be going. 

I know I’m not supposed to, but I do. I categorize sin. I place abuse and murder and deceit at the top of the list and put things like slander, white lies and quick to anger at the bottom. God looks at all sin as sin. But…I gotta wonder when someone does a miraculous feat and takes credit for it, if that doesn't get put in a category of sin all to itself. Such as when Moses and Aaron approached a rock and Moses said, “Must we bring you water from a rock?” Yep, he took the credit away from the real God and owned the miracle as his own. 

For months and months God had been working tirelessly to teach the Israelites that there was only one God and He was it. He had put all his efforts, literally day and night, into impressing upon them the idea and belief of monotheism. But in one reactive moment, Moses almost wiped out God’s efforts. Is it any wonder that God denied Moses entrance into the promised land? He could not allow the Israelites to be given the opportunity to see Moses as a god. So to do that, he had to keep Moses in the desert.

The kindness of God in this account takes place in Deuteronomy 3. God invites Moses to go to Pisgah Peak. Although Moses would be stuck in the desert for the rest of his life because of his sin, God wanted him to take a moment to look around. Look at all the people. The millions of them. People that Moses had led out of bondage into freedom. To look at the results of his obedience and courage and self-sacrifice. God, in his kindness, wanted Moses to remember that, even though he had committed a grievous sin, it didn’t wipe out the good that he had done. 

I find that unbelievably kind. Especially as I think about people in my life or those I’ve read about. People who have made poor decisions, some committing unthinkable sins. Resulting in loss of business, relationships, ministry, etc. And their tendency, I would imagine, to discount the good in their lives because of their sin.

Then there’s me. I have not always made the best or the right decision. And as a result, I have caused pain along the way. Lost a relationship. Hurt friendships. Damaged trust. It would be so easy to just live in the consequence of my sin. 

But God won’t allow that. For any of us.  And I’m so grateful. So grateful that He sees all of who we are.  Remembers all of who we are. Yes. We are sinners, forgiven. But some of us still live in the consequence of our sin. Yet God invites us to stand up and look around. And take in all that we have done together.

It’s a stunning move on God’s part. An amazing gift he gives us. To stand by his side and feel his hand of affirmation in the midst of our failure. 

Making God the kindest person I have ever met.