If The Devil Were God

Sometimes, you must ponder the antithesis of something in order to obtain a deeper appreciation. Sometimes, in order to recognize something we have to recognize its opposite. We often determine what we like by starting with what we dislike. Moreover, we savor life once we've tasted the bitterness of death. I cherish family and friends more and more as I realize that they will not always be in my life. We are living out moments that will soon be memories. I treasure relationships in light of inevitable separation.
Similarly, some of us can testify to the ecstasy of God's light only because we've recognized the miseries of outer darkness. And in order to appraise love we must imagine a world without it. A world turned upside down. What if the devil were God?

What if we had been born into a world where the highest authority burned with hatred toward mankind? That kind of God would delight in, not blessing, but cursing his creation, tormenting it. His agenda would not be salvation, but death and destruction. And we would be powerless against such cruelty. We would live in a hopelessly withered world, cowering under the demented whim of a sovereign tyrant. We would surely beg for death. If God were not good, who could dethrone Him? There were no guarantees that we would have a God of love. But we do. We were not entitled to love, but Jesus died and we were written into the will.

In our universe, water is the quintessential ingredient for life. We search for water on other planets to know if life is possible elsewhere. Some scientists propose that love is also vital to the survival of our species. They say we love only for the purpose of procreation and self-preservation. They argue that if people did not fall in love then mankind would soon die off. However, it leaves much to be accounted for when it comes to the complexities of love. That might account for a pseudo-love that seeks profit, and yet real love is so much more. What about the other kind of love that I witness each and every day? Love that goes beyond self interest? I believe that agape love is the greatest evidence against the theory of evolution. When I see agape love enter our atmosphere it appears as an alien beauty, a miraculous force, not scientific. Agape love stops me in my tracks, as if I have just witnessed a transmission from another world. When the rich feed the poor, when the strong carry the weak, those acts of self-sacrificial kindness defy the logic of evolution. Why do we stand in awe when we see people sacrifice for others? Why do we feel a deep sense of fulfillment when we make someone's day? It has nothing to do with self-preservation. Surely, the trail of charitable love leads back to a loving Creator. We are glimmers of unearthly love only because we all bear His image. We are like our Father.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I am sincerely thankful to live in a world where love resides on Heaven's throne.