too good to be understood

It may be too good to be understood

but it's not too good to be true

He may be too good to be understood

but he's not too good to be alive.

~~ “Too Good” by Jess Ray

“It may be too good to be understood but it’s not too good to be true.” Today I ran across these words in a song by Jess Ray. And then the last line, “He may be too good to be understood but he’s not too good to be alive.”

What a perfect way to describe God’s love -- and God himself! I kind of hate to write any more. What can I say? If you want to stop reading now and just think about the words, I don’t blame you. I’d love to hear what thoughts come to you as you listen to the words.

Here’s a link to the song, and to Jess Ray’s website.

One thought that came to my mind was what I have read about midrash. I can’t remember who said it or where I read it, but they talked about admiring the Jewish practice of midrash because it allowed unanswered questions. Midrash has several meanings but one is the practice of interpreting Scripture that “asks questions of the text; sometimes it provides answers, sometimes it leaves the reader to answer the questions." (Wilda Gafney, from Wikipedia). 

We want answers, we want solutions, we want to figure things out and understand. Usually I can’t relax until I have the answer. Resolving things brings peace. But many things in life don’t have an answer, especially all the examples of evil in the world -- all the bad things happening to good people, well, to everyone. Why does God let those things happen? Is it really God letting them happen or is there a different way to look at it? Why was there a “miracle” for one person but not for so many others? 

If God is God, He is not good,

If God is good He is not God

~~from the play J.B. by Archibald MacLeish, a retelling of the book of Job

But he is both. God is God -- all-powerful -- and God is good. They can’t both be true but they are. I imagine standing in the middle of a teeter-totter, leaning one way, then the other, finally getting to the balance point where both sides are equally off the ground -- and then relaxing there. At peace.

Too good to be understood, but not too good to be true, not too good to be alive. He loves you.

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What is this?? A while back, I had an idea. I was thinking of some friends I wanted to pray for, but I didn't have a specific thing to pray about on their behalf. I decided to pray that they would feel God's love. I decided to send them an email when I prayed, so they'd know and be encouraged. Then I thought about my many other family and friends who I would like to encourage with prayer, and decided to start this email.

Two things I try to do:

-- Encourage you with a reminder of God's love. My goal is to avoid anything where the response is "I should..." Just a short reflection of God's love.

-- Pray for you. I'll pray with each email, and please reply to me with anything you'd specifically like me to pray for you. I'll keep it confidential, don't worry.

If you would like to send me specific prayer requests. I will gladly pray with you, and if you would like to be added to the mailing list, email me at mavis at moonfamily.cc. I'll keep all communication confidential.