This comic comes from Hoom!, a sidebar comics blog. It is originally posted here.

I thought this comic was pretty good. The idea that there is that ‘perfect someone’ out there is common in our culture. People believe this. The social reality that most people aren’t that great, and therefore probably won’t end up with someone that great should be enough for people to agree that if they want love, they’ll have to put up with imperfections and be willing to improve themselves. But it’s usually not. Zoom out far enough logically though, and the idea of that perfect someone actually existing anywhere nearby is just stupid.

Love is great, but it’s hard work.

I stumbled on something the other day. It was one of those sort of cheesy lessons learned lists. This one actually had a few chuckles in it. Namely this one:

The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside we ALL believe that we are above-average drivers.

But all joking aside, one of the points on the list has actually stuck with me for the last few days. Not because it was something that I couldn’t rationally think up, but because the whole thought was so concisely articulated.

“A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.”

I had to think about that one for a moment. It immediately calls back to the idea of treating your neighbor as yourself and the very thing that caused Paul to call out Peter.

Everyone should be given due respect. Serving as a waiter is not grounds to withhold it. Neither are tattoos, unwed pregnancy, religion, voting preference, or sexual preference for that matter. We’re not better than anyone and we shouldn’t act like it.

“You cannot love or hate something unless it is a reflection of something you love or hate about yourself.”

What do you think about that statement?

Is it possible that the qualities we fall in love with are in some way the qualities we hold dear about ourselves? What about the statement that opposites attract? Could it be that we are attracted to our own weaknesses? I have a friend who is excellent at mathematics, I find that a very appealing quality. Could it be because I am so shamefully bad at it?

Jealousy. We hate someone because of something they are capable of, simply because we are incapable of it. Or pride. We feel good about something special we are able to do because it is something other’s cannot do.

A stretch, perhaps.

But I have to wonder whether this principle, if in fact true, extends to God as well. As unbelievers, do we hate God because he is all the goodness we are not? Certainly. After all, as believers, we love God because God is a being dwelling inside us.

There is a place in Luke where Jesus tells his disciples what they must do when a brother sins against them.

Luke 17:4:

“if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent’,’ you must forgive him.”

Most of us believe this, but get a lump in our gut when we think about what that situation might actually look like. How do you forgive someone who continues to wrong you? It’s hard to do. Most of us give people three or four chances before we give up.

But the disciples heard this, recognized how difficult it was and responded to Jesus’ command. It’s telling, isn’t it?

“Increase our faith!”

I think one of the hardest ideas to really accept is the idea that when we do good, we’re not going above and beyond, so to speak, but we’re simply meeting the standard.

Luke 17:10:

“When you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants, we have only done what was our duty.”

We’re well conditioned to feel proud of ourselves, and to expect thanks and honor when we do good things. We feel that we have exceeded the human standard. But, of course, the reality is that we have only begun to meet God’s standard.

Additionally, this concept makes logical nonsense of the prosperity Gospel. Rationally speaking, how much good would a person have to do to so far exceed the scriptural commands of love and sacrifice that God is actually compelled to reward. I don’t mean gift. God gives us gifts, based on grace, all the time. I mean a reward. As in, “you’ve done so much good, here is this big pile of money.”

God isn’t saying, “Whoa, look, you actually did what I said, here have this Lexus”. That’s ludicrous.

We know that the fear of the Lord is the ‘beginning of wisdom’. But what it looks like to fear the Lord can seem a bit ambiguous sometimes. Solomon clears it up.

Proverbs 8:13:

The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil,
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil.

Seems pretty cut and dry to me. Now, if I can only stop getting in the way of this sanctification thing…

On Easter, my girlfriend gave me an Easter basket filled with plastic eggs stuffed with candy. Also stuffed in most of those eggs were little notes, each with a bible verse detailing God’s unwavering affection for his redeemed.

This is rapid-fire encouragement.

Ephesians 3:14-19:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Hebrews 4:16:

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

John 1:12-14:

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Romans 4:21-5:1:

fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness." But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:11-14

May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Isaiah 43:10,18-18

"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,
   "and my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me
   and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
   nor shall there be any after me.

…

"Remember not the former things,
   nor consider the things of old.
Behold, I am doing a new thing;
   now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.

Titus 3:5-7:

he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Romans 8:1-3:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

Ephesians 3:11-12:

This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.

Colossians 1:20:

and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Revelation 21:5-7:

(one of my first blog posts ever was based on this verse)

And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.