God's Not Obsessive-Compulsive, So Why Are We This Time of Year?

God is perfect, but is He a perfectionist? I don't think so, at least not in the extreme, as in obsessive/compulsive. In other words, God--and everything about Him and everything He does--is perfect, but his character shows no evidence of being that of a stereotypical fussbudget. Naturally, a big part of the equation has to do with the fact we judge God's actions by human standards. If He doesn't meet our expectations on our time schedule we second-guess Him. When He does act on our behalf, we often balk at the details and at what may be required of us.

You mean we have to kill giants before we can enter the Promised Land, God?!

The truth is, God never sweats the small stuff and He's much more relaxed about our lives and destinies than we are. Not only that, but God (referred to as "father" by Jesus) is male, and males, as we all know, are pretty uncomplicated.

Case in point: It didn't bother God in the least to have His children roam about in the desert for 40 years. A female deity would never have considered it. Nor did God lose any sleep over not having a grandiose Jerusalem temple to dwell in. It was David who agonized over that one. Of course, when asked to be involved in the planning God got very detailed, but to my knowledge He hasn't issued any complaints since the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. I know, I know: God doesn't need a temple because He now dwells in us. But, metaphors and doctrines aside, most of us would rather live in a big, fancy mansion than inside a flawed human body. Eew.

Jesus Himself gives us many examples. Turn water into wine? He didn't seem too concerned about it. Yes, he performed His first miracle because God wanted Him to, but Mary was the one "bent out of shape" about the wine running out, not Jesus. And at the Last Supper there is no indication that Jesus anxiously drummed His fingers on the table, sported a nervous facial tic, or bit his nails. Notwithstanding sweating blood later in the evening, Jesus was apparently as cool as a cucumber when He told Judas to "go and be about his business."

My point, in all of this, is to say if God is relaxed, we have no cause to be uptight about anything. A particularly good reminder this time of year when so many of us are driven to duplicate what our image of the perfect Christmas is supposed to be. Doubtless, it is our drive for perfection that exhausts, and ultimately disappoints, us.

As Christmas nears, I pray I can keep the right perspective. I need only remember Jesus' birth: a baby born in a cave, laid in a manger, and hunted by Herod, with nothing but His poor parents and a heavenly Father who holds the whole world in His hands to protect Him.

Merry Christmas y'all, and to all, a peaceful, perfect good night.