Conference yukon::christian_v7

              yes

    Yes, I do.  Very much.  

    Bob,
    
    It's an interesting question and one of which I am intimately familiar. 
    There have been moments in my life and generally my experience in most
    Christian's lives, where they were angry at God and didn't like where
    they were and blamed God for it.  This could logically be drawn out
    they didn't like Him in this situation.
    
    Oftimes I don't like my son's personality, but I always love him
    unconditionally regardless of that trait which annoys the fire out
    of me. :-)
    
    I don't think we are required to like God in every situation... I don't
    think its humanly possible.  But the fear of the Lord is the beginning
    of wisdom, therefore, I believe it to be imprudent to dwell on the
    "traits" we may find annoying of God.  i.e., Sometimes I just don't
    like the way he chastises me.  At the time, I may even call it a
    trial.. but the truth is God usually reveals that I'm reaping something
    I've sown... suffering the consequences of my behavior.  I DON'T LIKE
    SUFFERING THE CONSEQUENCES OF MY BEHAVIOR! :-)  I'd much rather be
    forgiven, put it behind me and never have to face it again... but TRUTH
    IS if I didn't suffer the consequences of my behavior, I'd not learn
    that it was wrong behavior and could continue in it.
    
    I think I'd like God better if he'd just rapture me so I wouldn't have
    to be tried by fire... or have a purpose ... or struggle financially
    ... or struggle as a parent ... or [insert any hardship]
    
    But man without the struggle, I'd not know victory and without the
    hardship, I'd not know comfort and without the rejection, I'd not know
    acceptance... :-)
    
    I think this note has helped me be convinced that I *do* like God, its
    my inadequacies that are unlikeable and He shines His light to reveal
    them... too bad at times I project my ugliness onto Him.  
    
    Thanks for starting this Bob, it has helped me.
    
    In His Love,
    Nancy

    right now, yes.
    
    but I haven't always.
    (I usually was not very happy and did not have the best walk during
    such times, however)
    (I'm not perfect now either)
    

Hi Bob,

I rarely write in here but this made me want to share something I recently 
read.  I've been doing a lot of study lately about the Jewish roots and 
heritage of our faith.  I ran across a prayer by a Jewish man who was a victim 
of the holocaust.  He was obviously quite angry with God, and angry about the 
horrible circumstances that he found himself and millions of his people in.  
Yet it demonstrates an unshakeable faith.  It moved me a great deal, and I
think speaks to your question.  It is quite long so I'll paraphrase it: 

He says to God: You have done your very best to make me hate you and stop 
believing in you.  You have forced us to endure unspeakable suffering; you 
have taken our homes away from us, our families, our very lives.  You have 
tried to make me hate you, and you have very nearly succeeded.  I have no 
reason left to love you.  Yet, you have not succeeded.  I will not deny you. 
I will not stop believing in you.  I do not care what more terrible things 
that you do to me, I will never stop being your child.  I will die giving you 
praise, despite the fact that you have made it so difficult.

The original is much more eloquent than my feable paraphrase, for it shows the 
very real dichotomy of anger with God, pain and suffering, yet refusing to 
deny or abandon his faith.  I'm sure that this man, and many others like him, 
did not like God at the time, yet depsite that, their faith did not waiver.

What a testimony.  Makes me wonder if I would have the courage to do the same.

Greg...(Leslie's husband)

    I find that many have a "problem" liking God The Father. God The Son and
    God The Holy Spirit seem to be more "likable" and that's why you see a
    lot of ministries focusing on the latter two thirds of the God Head.

    Glenn

    When my wife died, I hated God.  How could he do this to her, me, our
    children, our friends and community!  Then, when I thought I could
    suffer no more, He put His hand on my shoulder.  I was comforted beyond
    my belief.  I loved God!
    
    Nancy's analogy of a father and son is perfect.  Our Heveanly Father
    does not expect us to like him every day, but he demands that we try to
    obey him.  That is exactly what I have done with my sons.  There have
    been times they hated me.  But, they have grown to adulthood, and now
    it is mostly a loving and liking relationship.  Not liking is now rare, but
    still occurs sometimes when we have a difficult situation.
    
    In His Love,
    
    Daryl

    Hi,
    
    Good, no, excellent question. Do I like God? Yes, now. I used to not
    like Him, even to the point of hating Him. He has dealt with the
    reasons that made me feel that way. Firstly, a father figure that was
    imperfect, and didn't show me how to deal with life. God brought me to
    forgive him, for he didn't know what he was doing. Thus improving my
    much-tainted "father" image.
    
    I share much of what Nancy shared in .3, and recognize also that it's
    for our own good, and for His Name's sake, he allows the circumstances
    in life to "form" us into the image of His dear Son. I'd much rather He
    take me home too, or at least zap me into perfection, so He can,
    quickly, through a perfected me, get this thing over with.
    
    Did I blame God for things that happened in life? Oh yes, I sure did. 
    The old "pass the buck" syndrome, started way back in the garden.
    The "Adam" in me blamed God. Well, after all, He created this place,
    didn't he? But notice, the first punishment handed out wasn't to Eve,
    or Adam. It went to the serpent. God knew well enough where to place
    the blame. And now, so do I. That old tricky, clever, nasty, hateful,
    lying, accusing snake-in-the-grass-soon-to-be-snake-in-the-pit devil! 
    
    And I often wonder, how much of what we experience in this life, is not
    the devils fault, God's working, but our own lack of knowledge, and I
    can only blame myself for not studying harder.
    
    In His Love,
    
    Bob
    

    Good question. One may not get a chance to answer it unless they've
    gone through some hardship and have had to lean upon GOd and perhaps
    let him carry them.  Yes, I like God. He is true to his promises. When he
    says that he loves us more than we can ever love our own children,
    that is great comfort. We can hardly understand the depth of his grace,
    but we know it is more than we ever deserve.  
    
    Dan

 I don't recall ever being in a situation where I've been angry at God.  When
 my mother died when I was 8 years old, I don't recall ever having those 
 thoughts..perhaps because there were a lot of church folks around at the
 time..my former wife and I lost 3 babies to miscarriages and even then
 I wasn't mad at God.  There've been plenty of times I didn't like myself
 because of something I've done to disrupt the relationship with Him, but
 I don't ever recall not liking God.



 Hmmm...


 Jim

      Hi,
    
        Yeah, I figure I do.  More often than not, when I'm alone,
        I talk to Him.  I figure if I didn't like Him, I wouldn't talk
        to Him!
    
                                                        Tony

Some good responses in here to come to on a Monday morning..... Thanks,
Nancy, Greg, etc... 

My experience too is that God is determined to do me good, even when I
think I'd rather be left undisturbed in my slime.  I'm ashamed to realise
that He's patiently preparing me for heaven, while my feet are leaden on
the earth.  And at times it takes an almost physical effort to bow out and
let His will rule.  I know it's what I want, even though I hate doing or
admitting it....  Like there's two 'me's almost...  Guess I'm not the first 
to find that ;-}

And the One Who brings me to that point.... Do I really like Him or not?  I
can hedge with other people.  Change the subject.  Give a vague answer to 
fob them off.  I can't do that with Him, because he knows what's right at 
the root.  Even in areas where I might not be too sure what's in me, or am
reluctant to admit the horrible reality even to myself...  But He knows, 
and *still* stays with me.  Loves me even.  And is dealing with those areas
I can't bear the truth about. 

Can I really like Someone Who knows the worst about me and still loves me?
If I knew myself like that, I wouldn't like me.  But then, I'm stuck with 
what I am.  Can't get away from myself.  Wherever I go, I take 'me' with 
me...

My only hope is to take Him with me too.  If I'm not to sink further down,
without limit, He's my only safety net; my reminder that glory and holiness
is real and achievable, because He's not only made them achievable, but is
achieving them in us / for us...  The urge to utter the incompatible and
unworthy "Not just yet, LORD..." chokes in the throat. 

Yesterday evening, our sermon ended with 2 Peter 3:11-12 : "...what kind of 
people ought you to be?  You ought to live holy and Godly lives as you look 
forward to the day of God and speed its coming."  I've used that often 
enough too.  But still find it hard to put into practise consistently...

Bob, I've no option but to like Him.  So many times I've deserved a kick in 
the teeth, and he's been patient and loving to me instead.  I've found I 
can't only trust Him with eternity - I can even trust Him with time.  I 
don't always exactly want to - too uncomfortable, and I have ideas on
working things out how I'd like.  But they tend not to, and He's always
waiting and caring.

When I was pre-teen, I had a big problem about how anyone could love God,
when they couldn't see Him.  Liking didn't seem such a problem then,
because I wasn't aware of Him 'interfering' with my life.  Liking was a
low cost exercise.  But I couldn't see how anyone could 'love' in remote 
mode.  His involvement made me realise the reality of His love - and woke 
up mine.  But then the proximity brings the criteria of liking ... 

Do I like / trust Him enough to accept setting aside self and letting Him
choose my way...  I come back to the inevitable realisation that I don't 
like / trust myself enough to accept choosing my own way...  And His is the 
only shoulder I can lean on and know it won't withdraw when it realises 
what I'm like.  So I like Him even when I wish He wasn't so good to me ... 
(Hebrews 12:10).  I like him because I can trust Him as a friend when I 
can't see, or have reached the limit of endurance.  

Sounds awfully like cupboard love - or should that be cupboard liking...
But through it all He's a companion I can *like* to be with, and am
gradually learning ... I have His Word on it, not mine.

							Andrew

    I second some of the previous notes (Nancy, Bob Shallow).
    
    Some additional thoughts:
    When I think God's let me down, I'm angry - "Why are you allowing
    this <insert situation> to happen to me?"  Lately, I find the answer
    is more often than not that He is pointing out some areas in my life
    that need to be addressed, not so much in a 'reap-what-you-sow' way,
    but just allowing some character traits to come to the surface and 
    stare me right in the face - not a pretty sight.  Boy, when I say
    "Show me the areas I need to change" or "Conform me to your image"
    He's quick to take me up on the offer!  Kinda like ripping a band-aid
    off your arm and it wants to take some of your hair with it - OUCH!
    
    I like SOME of God's qualities - his hallmark - merciful, lovingkindness,
    patient....some others: jealous, vengence - honestly, I don't like those
    things, even though I know they are justified because he is a holy
    and just God.
    
    Karen
    

    Good morning!
    
    Andrew, can you like someone who knows all about you, and still loves
    you anyway? Sure, do you love yourself? Well, God loves you more, than
    we can imagine. And as they saying goes, loves hurts...
    
    This morning, driving in, Jack Hayford (Church on the Way) was on, and
    preacing about the "Prodigal son" section. I can relate very much to
    that one, as I'm sure many can. He spoke of how the Father, seeing the
    son afar off, RAN to meet him. This was bringing tears to my eyes, as I
    felt "in the spirit", God was hugging me, so hard it hurt. HE was
    showing me I am "accepted as I am", because His love is unconditional.
    
    This is a "hug" I've needed to receive, as for far too many years,
    since birth, the feelings of not being accepted, rejection, can't meet 
    up to specs, and the rest of the world's way of treating people, have
    been a major part of my thinking. (stemming from being "put out" for
    adoption started it, and the devil has had a field day with it since!)
    
    Blessed is He who has not seen, and believes. Believes what? Believes
    what God says. First, and most dominant attribute of God, is, He is
    love. Justice, and all the rest come after that. So, do as God helped
    me do this morning, Let God love you. He makes the changes, He comforts
    when He needs to use the rod, He does it all. We, just stand in awe,
    and render praises. He really enjoys it when we sing to Him, even in
    the songs in our heart, as He hears them, as He lives there.
    
    There is so much more, but work calleth, and in loving God, I must
    answer it's call and doeth it. (Too much King James?) 8^)
    
    In His Love, by His grace,
    
    Bob 

    Yes, I like God.  He's more interesting, more mysterious, more
    profound, more intellectual, more kind, more longsuffering, more
    patient, more merciful, more deliberate, more loving, more mighty, more
    tender, more meek, more beautiful, more worthy of praise than anything
    in the universe.
    
    What is there not to like?  
    
    I may not like how I feel sometimes when he disciplines me but that is
    altogether a different matter.  I may not understand His ways almost
    all the time, but that is again another matter.
    
    What I know of Him, I like.  Of course, I love Him too!!!
    
    jeff

>    What is there not to like?  

I've been asking myself this question since this note was posted.

I think the question, and its answer, says an awful lot more about the
"liker" than it does about the "likee."

The measure of our dislike of God, if it exists, is a measure of our
separation from Him and our misunderstanding of Him.  "In Him, there is no
darkness at all." 1 John 1:5

That's not exactly a very comforting thought when you're in the midst of
being angry at God over something and not liking Him very much, and I would
hesitate about how to offer that thought to someone in that situation, but I
think it is nonetheless true.

Paul

    .16
    
    I think you are right, which is exactly what my note was trying to
    say.  In the end as I reflected on the times I didn't like God, it was
    a mere reflection of myself.
    
    

Skimming over the past few days:

Yes, I like God.  I like Him better as I get to know Him better, just like
I like some people better as I get to know them.  Not everything goes the
way I might plan things, but it doesn't change my like for God.  It 
puzzles me at times.  And there are probably times I don't like what
I'm going through which I might be tempted to blame on God, if not
directly, then indirectly.  But I have had enough experience with my 
Friend to like Him and trust Him and know that even what is intended as
evil for me by someone is turned to good in the scheme of eternity.
Now that is something to really like about a God.

I've come a long way from thinking of God as a genie in the bottle to wish
my problems and troubles away.  That's fantasy.  God is real, and He is
Majestic, and Powerful, and the King of the Universe... and we're best
friends.  Yeah, I like Him.

Now, love is a different story... but that's another note, eh?

MM