Love and Freedom: A Mother's Story

In my recent series on universalism we at times bumped up against the issue of human freedom and God's love. Specifically, I expressed concern about a view of God's love that stands back and lets humans be free. That is, it is often suggested that for God to be love God has to respect human freedom. And there are times in Rob Bell's book Love Wins where he makes this odd sort of claim.

Now, as I noted in my series I agree that God has to respect the volitional integrity of humanity. That is, God isn't going to force anyone to accept this love. So in this sense, yes, I agree with the notion that God isn't going to force people or push people into heaven against their wills.

But that is a far cry from saying that God is sitting on the sidelines and doing nothing. That is, there are times in Bell's Love Wins where God's love looks like walking away, or hand wringing on the sideline. That God's respect for human freedom means that God will do, well...nothing.

But it is my contention that God keeps after us. Wooing, correcting, educating, prompting, and even threatening at times. God doesn't leave me alone to "do what I want." Love isn't like that. God pursues us. God is the troubadour outside our window singing love songs. God is the parent always extending love to the runaway child. God is the prison chaplain who visits the murderer in the cell. God is always, always, always coming toward you. Yes, God respects your freedom. But God doesn't ever, ever stand on the sideline.

The #1 lesson I learned from reading George MacDonald is that the love of God is best expressed as the love of a parent. And that insight is the single greatest theological corrective I know of. Whenever I encounter a view of God I wonder about--"Is God like this?--my first question is always: Would I treat Brenden or Aidan this way?

I was reminded of all this reading a wonderful, poignant, and theologically profound reflection by Michelle on her blog Pondering Every Morsel. It's a story of a mother and a daughter with cerebral palsy. It's a story about God and humanity. It's a story about love and freedom.