October 2nd, 2007
Online Honesty
“But it is God who has wronged me, capturing me in his net.”
Job 19:6
The car I drive to Rochester every week has no CD player and no tape deck. So periodically I will turn on the radio for company. The other day I heard a great song. Now, some of you know that I like Roger Miller, a singer/songwriter popular in the 1940’s-50’s. He took real life and sang about it – sometime mocking it, sometimes mourning it. Well, the song on the radio, by country singer Brad Paisley, followed Roger’s style, In fact, the radio DJ commented that Brad gets inspiration from Roger Miller!
“Online”, sung by Brad Paisley, looks at the phenomenon of the “MySpace” and online culture. Anyone, regardless of what they look like, their educational background, or their economic status can pose as a rich, cultured Hollywood “GQ” model. The funny thing is, everyone knows that the person they are “talking to” online probably isn’t really who they are posing to be! What a humorous song about our ability to put on masks and fool those around us. It’s also a sad commentary on a nation of people disgruntled with their lives and fortunes.
We each have ideas of what we would like to look like and have in our homes and wallets. Next year I turn 40 (I’m sure I’ll write more on that as the time approaches! hehe). Facing another milestone birthday causes me to reflect on my life and who I am. I would have to say, it would be so easy to get on MySpace and develop a 25 year-old-me! Even though we may not have to be totally honest with others about who we are, we cannot hide behind the computer or masks as we face God.
I read part of Job today, and the above quote caught my attention. Did you notice as you read it that Job honestly blames God? Often we put on a mask for God, fearing to blame him, fearing to honestly confront him about our dissatisfactions. Now, please don’t get me wrong, we dare not get so angry at God that we turn away from him. No, Job’s honesty with God comes with the knowledge that God is in control, God can change circumstances, and God does love. However, Job doesn’t currently see the love in his life. And so, he honestly confronts God, begging him to change the circumstances. We must approach God humbly but honestly with our dreams, our anger and frustration. Thankfully, he is big enough to take it!
Many of you are probably saying, yes, but God responds in anger as he “puts Job in his place” (ch. 38). That’s true. I think we need to be careful that in our honesty with God we don’t approach him with pride. We have no right to demand from God. We must realize that he developed a plan for our lives that would most glorify Him, and we must accept that. However, as we repeatedly see the psalmists doing, I think we can approach God with our fears.
A few weeks ago I spent time doing just that. As I drove, I began talking with God. Not accusing, not demanding, just opening up to my best friend about fears and frustrations I had. Although no mountains moved, I knew that freedom of God saying, “I know you anyway – why don’t you tell me about your anger and dreams? Trust me with that information.” It took time because I am so good at hiding. How about you? When was the last time you spent REAL time with God. Time uncovering the layers, time acknowledging that you don’t see him in some area of your life, time even acknowledging your anger toward him or others? Remember, you can’t hide from God behind a computer screen.