Long Overdue

I’m receiving a lot more feedback from a wider spectrum of folks these days—often through avenues other than the comments section, some of which are still a puzzlement for me!—and an increasing amount of feedback relates to my repeated references to the “Sneaky God” that continues to show up in my posts (and life)! And, as my title reflects, addressing this unusual (and controversial) term is probably “long overdue”!

The responses to this label run the gamut. Quite a few readers celebrate my description of the “Sneaky God” in my life journey and want to explore that in more detail. Others, including some who have had negative church experiences or were introduced to a distant, strict, or punishing deity, enjoy being able to think or talk about God in a more personal, playful, and possibly even “irreverent” way.

Still others share that they find my use of the adjective “sneaky” to describe God as somewhat offensive or in a few cases as out-and-out sacrilegious. If I can manage to drop my defensiveness long enough, I can often make progress in understanding their response based on their faith journey thus far and their understanding of God, or what I call their God Image. That, however, opens a whole new can of worms! I have learned not to use the term “God Image” in those particular situations since in their view or theology, there aren’t varying understandings or images of God, but just the one they have been taught, based on the “correct and only understanding of the Bible”. 

I never intended, when we initiated this blog over six years ago, to push my faith journey or understanding of God onto anyone! In fact, one of my rapidly expanding goals is to challenge each of us to become more open to learning about and actually understanding the religious beliefs of folks who differ from ours (or even those folks who self-label as atheists or agnostics). Therefore, my reply to these responses has come to be, “If your understanding of God is nurturing and deepening your faith journey and your evolving relationship with God that is reason to celebrate”! Some folks then take offense with my use of the word “evolving”, but at this stage in my own faith journey, that concept has become foundational and is one I’m committed to!  

However, at this point I would like to explain and clarify my use of “sneaky” a little which may help allay some people’s concerns. I know that sneaky has a negative connotation, akin to underhanded or devious and I’m certainly not implying God has any harmful intentions! I’m using the word to get across the indirect, veiled, understated ways God uses to try to make contact with us. 

Personally, I have never heard a booming voice from the clouds. Instead, my Sneaky God shows up in my life in subtle, barely perceptible ways. Sometimes it’s through the clear voice of another person (like when I heard God speaking through my mother in March’s post), other times through a “still small voice” unheard by anyone else. It could be a “coincidence”, an intuition, a nudge or a gnawing that won’t stop!  

Recently, I had a “gnawing” that wouldn’t go away which kept surfacing a person who I hadn’t spoken to in years. I finally gave in and called! The person had lost an adult child less than two weeks before my call and basically cried for the first few minutes and then shared her painful experiences over the past several years. After about an hour of sharing, she stopped suddenly and asked, “What moved you to call me at this time?” I’m pretty sure it was none other than my Sneaky God, who is not only sneaky but also creative and persistent!

I suppose I could replace sneaky with stealthy or some other word that is more neutral, but somehow sneaky just works for me. I have often been told that I’m an unusual bird. But that doesn’t need to be a bad thing. Recently a self-proclaimed atheist who has been following the blog for several years made the statement to me, “Terry, you are a unique character and certainly march to a different drummer which is one of the main reasons I continue to follow your blog. I never felt you were pushing religion on me and believe me I can smell that agenda in an instant! Don’t allow anyone to guilt you into changing who you are, that wouldn’t fit the person I have come to know through your monthly posts!”

That statement was certainly part of the impetus for writing this post! Maybe you resonate with sneaky and maybe you don’t. But even if that label doesn’t work for you, perhaps thinking about it and my reasoning behind it has expanded your own religious beliefs in some small way. If you are offended by my reference to the Sneaky God and uncomfortable expressing your feelings in the comment section following the post, please consider emailing me at tliebcounseling@gmail.com. I will commit to read every one and attempt to respond to each one depending on the volume and my other commitments. I believe honest, open-hearted dialogue about our differences can help everyone grow!

QUESTIONS FOR DEEPENING THE JOURNEY

1. How do you feel about the label “Sneaky God”? What do you like about it and/or what are your objections?
2. What reasons do you think God might have for wanting to be quiet/subtle/sneaky rather than obvious/loud/overt?
3. How do you think your relationship with God would change if you always got very clear direction? What would become of free will? Might not having to work at listening closely actually lessen your investment in your God-relationship?
4. How do you feel about the concept of “sacrilegious”? What falls into this category and why?
5. When you hear beliefs that differ from yours, what is your emotional response? Does it make you approach or distance yourself from hearing more? How do you feel about your answers?
6. What are some moments—big or small—that you have been able to perceive God’s presence in your life. What did it feel like?

CHALLENGE: Seek out three times every day for a week that God has “snuck” into your life. At the end of the week, reflect on your experience. Did those moments appear more when you were looking for them? How do you think your life might change if you were always on the lookout?