The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Rome,
“God is kind, but God is not soft.  In kindness God takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life change.” (Romans 2:4 ~The Message)

We like going to church and hearing God is kind and God is love. It is comforting and soothing, but to hear God leads us into a radical life change is unsettling. Most people hear the word ‘radical’ and think of being an extremist or fanatic. Radical comes from the word “radix” which means rooted. Having a Christian radical lifestyle means being rooted in the teachings of Jesus.  Teachings that are not always comforting but are challenging and call us to change our lifestyles.

All of us who are parents know that there are times when we must be firm as we discipline our children. We do this because we love them and want the best for them. God is our heavenly parent and offers to firmly take us by the hand and guide us.

My mother was a perfect woman to be a single parent of two boys. She loved us so much, yet she was strong and firm when we needed it. Although there were days she needed to be firm with us, at night she would let us get out of our beds and go down the hall to her room.  We’d climb up on her bed and lay our heads on her as she sang and told us stories and taught us her favorite scriptures.

Not soft, but firm, and oh so loving.