Never Too Far

We've all been in that conversation or situation where someone just oversteps the bounds of acceptable conversation. The joke gets a little too personal or too off-color, the observation made goes a little too deep and at best, there is awkwardness. At worst, a relationship is damaged or ended.

I like to think I've gotten better about catching on when the direction discourse is taking is making someone uncomfortable. And I definitely never cross the boundary with my actions- mostly because I have personal space issues myself. But there have been times when I have taken something a bit too far, and the remorse, for me, is almost immediate. To know I've hurt or at the very least cause some awkwardness for someone bothers me- especially if its unintended. Now, there have been times when taking it too far becomes necessary to wake a person up to the mistake they are making, but it is a slippery slope of when and how that is appropriate.

When the question of, "Did he go to far?" is applied to God, I believe the answer is always no. There are many times we could look at with human eyes and say, "I can't believe he went there." Uzza being killed for touching the Ark of the Covenant, the entire book of Job, any time He wiped out entire populations, and many of the things Jesus and his disciples said come to mind. But none of these crossed 'that line.'

Honestly, it's not the actions themselves that aren't across the line- they, in and of themselves, are- it is the character of the one committing the action. When we 'take it too far,' both our actions and our fallible nature as people contribute to the line crossing. It's that whole, " remove the plank from your own eye before taking the speck out of your brother's" (Matthew 7:5, paraphrased). We are not, as we currently exist, just. Oh, sure, we try to be, and we are called to seek justice, but we will forever fall short, for we are imperfect. We, in our attempt to correct someone or help someone, will fail as often as we succeed. That doesn't mean we stop trying to help others, and occasionally confront them.

But none of this applies to God. He is perfect in His justice AND His mercy. That's why God never takes it too far. His justice, His harshness is taken to the extreme so that when (and it is a when, not an if) His mercy is offered, it too is offered to the extreme. I say 'offered,' because God's mercy is never bestowed until it is accepted. And it must be accepted.

Job could have rejected the blessing of God to restore Him on the basis that the Lord 'took it too far.' But he didn't.

The annihilation of entire populations may seem harsh, but it is done as mercy for the Israelites- that they not be lead into a life of slavery to false gods. (Also, and this is just me, but looking at the story of The Fall of Jericho in Joshua, they killing of all living things in the city may have been a mercy killing for all those crushed but not killed by the massive failure of the city's massive walls.)

And the biggest 'too far' moment of all time: He killed Jesus, so that His mercy would be infinitely offered...and bestowed to those who accept it.

Our God does not take it too far. He may wound us with His actions, but it is with a surgical precision meant to heal us. He may commit or allow actions that make no sense, but He is so much beyond our understanding that it is hard to question why He does what He does.

In the midst of the harshness and incomprehensible acts of God, I challenge you to remember that while "The LORD is a warrior..." (Exodus 15:3), the truth is that "God is love" (1 John 4:16) as well. He wounds us that He may heal us. And He make no mistake- the cliche that he doesn't give us more than we can handle is bull. He always takes us beyond what we can bear, but He never takes it too far for what He can bear.

We just need to trust Him.