One size does not fit all

I was out last evening looking for recently and suddenly required field hockey goggles for my daughter.  Since the school requirement was both recent and sudden, they are as scare as hen’s teeth in shops locally.  And where you can find a hen’s tooth, you will discover that it is costly to acquire.  And most of the models we found claimed that one size fits all.  I realize the claim comes because these can be adjusted easily but I am always wary of the one size feature.  In the case of t-shirts it just means the garment can double as a tent.

I think we also adapt this one size thinking to our proclamation of the Gospel.  The same message for all people in all circumstances.  But I am not sure that is effective.  I approach this from the perspective of pastoral care.  There are some occasions when a clear call to repentance is the right thing.  But not always.  There are some contexts in which a person is so crippled by self-recrimination and shame that a further call to repentance simply heaps additional burdens upon an already staggering pile. Sometimes the message of God’s love in Jesus Christ needs to be prior.  For some the news that repentance is needed is not a stunning revelation.  But that Jesus loves me is.

It makes me think about the consistent nature and character of God and how he reveals himself to us in different ways.  It is not always the same way.  I have had many circumstances in my life where God’s word to me was a stern one, leading me to contrition and repentance.  But not always.  God knows that one size does not fit all.  Indeed one size does not always even fit a given individual.  He comes among us at times sternly, but also at times deeply tenderly – in authority and in tenderness, in holiness and in compassion.

Does this mean that God is changeable?  No.  But he is Person and not a thing.  And we are changeable.  That which we need to hear from the mouth of God differs depending on the circumstances.  Jesus is the one who says, “you brood of vipers!” and “come to me all who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”  He even says to the same person at different times, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah” and “Get thee behind me, Satan.”  Indeed, one size does not fit all.

These thoughts were moved, in part, by a very tender movement of God in our midst in church on Sunday morning.  There was a peace very palpably present which was, I think, from Jesus.  I am often looking for his exhortation to move me and us forward.  But again, one size does not fit all.   The tender love of God fit very nicely this week.