They can be a lot of pressure! What comes to mind, is an opportunity my husband and I had six years ago to make a good first impression with potentially life-changing results.
We had been interviewing at various churches across North America in search of a new ministry opportunity. When one church in Southern Ontario invited us for a two-day visit including a formal interview and to meet some church leaders and the staff.
I remember the anticipation leading up to the interview as we took time to prepare, dream, pray, and freak out! Ok fine, I probably did the freaking out. My husband was calm, cool, and ready. Which is a good thing too, because he was doing 99% of the interview.
Besides the anticipated interview questions, I couldn’t help but consider how I might be perceived.
I knew all about that stereotype of a pastor wife vibe. I also knew I didn’t check all the boxes.
- Love Jesus ✔️ (but I’m not great at trusting and obeying Him)
- Love others ✔️ (but reeeeeeeally not as well I should)
- Read my Bible ✔️ (but I find parts of it boring… yes, even me, the one obsessed with the Scriptures)
- Pray everyday ✔️ (do drowsy bedtime prayers count?)
- Listen exclusively to worship music (yeah, no… please don’t ask for my Spotify history)
- Never cuss (define never…. damn it! What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?)
- Passion for children and youth (umm sorry husband, you might not get the job and it’s all my fault)
It was so stressful to think about what kind of first impression I’d be giving during those first encounters.
Well, spoiler alert: I didn’t blow it. My husband landed the gig! And it was 6 years ago this past week, since that whirlwind weekend of first impressions.
Why are first impressions such a big deal? What is it about being asked to describe ourselves that makes us want to run for the hills instead?
Whether it’s:
- a blind date
- job interview
- first day of school
- first day on the job
- meeting the in laws
- or a small group Bible study…
The intense pressure we feel to project the best possible version of ourselves is truly palpable.
Hi, I’m God.
I’m willing to bet He did not feel the pressure, but in the book of Exodus, we find one of the very first times God describes Himself in Scripture. How cool is that?!
Let’s check it out!
5 Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him [Moses]; and He called out His own name, Yahweh. 6 “Yahweh! The LORD!
– Exodus 34:5-7
The God of grace and mercy!
I am slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
7 I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty.
I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—
even children in the third and fourth generations.”
Honestly, it gives me chills just thinking about it. After an already wild start for humanity, God’s like: “Ok, this is it y’all. Here’s a little about me and what I’m all about.”
It’s been said, if you want to know what God’s like, just look at Jesus. But I would argue that God had been revealing Himself to His people, and trying to make Himself known and understood long before Christ walked the earth.
So I say, if you want to know what God is like, Exodus 34:5-7 is a great place to start!
Naturally, God starts with His name – actually, names!
Yahweh: The earliest recorded name of God, spelled YHWH in Hebrew. The name in itself is considered so sacred and holy it couldn’t even be uttered! Yahweh means “He who brings whatever exists into being”.
The LORD: When in all uppercase, it is another name for God. And there is none like Him!
God goes on to describe His character by painting a picture of who He specifically is in relation to His people.
Every facet of God’s character contains these attributes in their fullness. He isn’t one more than another. As James 1:17 puts it, “there is no variation or shadow of turning – nothing deceitful, nothing two-faced or fickle.”
Even though God is fully and completely all these characteristics, I love that He starts with grace. It’s a lesson in my own life to extend it for others and to receive it for myself.
Grace is receiving goodness from God, which we do not deserve and could do nothing to earn. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Mercy is God withholding punishment we deserve and extending pardon and forgiveness instead. (Deuteronomy 4:31)
Being slow to anger has to do with God’s patience and delay in displaying His wrath against sin. Also related to His long-suffering and how He patiently endures our offences and rebellion against Him. (Psalm 103:8)
Unfailing love is SO hard for us to get our minds around because we cannot produce a love that is so unconditional or steadfast, but God’s love really is! (Romans 5:8)
Faithfulness: This scripture says it best, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful— for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13)
How are these characteristics manifested? FORGIVENESS!
God forgives iniquity, rebellion, and sin… to a thousand generations! (Deuteronomy 7:9)
That’s really good news!
But we can’t fully appreciate how good that news really is unless we read the whole of verse 7. Sorry y’all.
We’d rather ignore the reality of 7b, and live on the good graces of a God who extends unfailing love to a thousand generations.
But friends,
…what would have been the point of Jesus’ death, then?
We cheapen His sacrifice when we downplay our sin and its consequences!
The following paints a sobering picture:
“We’re not really surprised that God has redeemed us. Somewhere deep inside, in the secret chambers of our hearts we harbour the notion that God owes us His mercy. Heaven would not be quite the same if we were excluded from it. We know that we are sinners, but we’re surely not as bad as we could be. There are enough redeeming features to our personalities that if God is really just, He will include us in salvation. What amazes us is justice, not grace.”
– R. C. Sproul
Justice has to be served. We’d expect that from an earthly court with a human judge! So of course a God of justice has to punish the guilty, or else He wouldn’t be true to Himself.
However, and this is a big HOWEVER! If that’s where we stop, then there’s not much good about the Good News, is there?
It’s only in understanding that Jesus took on God’s wrath against our own sin, in our place, that we find the very best ending to ANY story.
Faith in Jesus means that we are always under the banner of mercy, not judgement. And God’s default for us is mercy every time to a thousand generations.
I’m reminded that mercy TRIUMPHS or REJOICES over judgement (James 2:13). Knowing God errs on the side of mercy means the Good News isn’t just good, it’s life-changing!
So whether it’s an opportunity to make a good first impression, as in our experience; or a chance to get to know the unfailing love of God – those initial interactions truly matter because they have a lasting impact on how any relationship will unfold.
From The Overflow 