So much about God is counterintuitive. He tells us to turn the other cheek when we’re wronged. (That’s a tough one.) He tells us to look to the interests of others, not merely to our own, when we’d much rather stay selfish, thank you very much. He tells us to tithe on our income, when we’d much rather keep it all. He tells us to remember the poor, when sometimes that doesn’t seem fair.  

It’s almost like he wants us to transcend.

And this is where the story gets interesting. As we release our tight grip, we get a glimpse of a marvelous thing. Freedom.

If you know me, you know I’m more than a little concerned about our country. Not just the politics of it, but the spirit of it. The “my rights” part of it. To me, it seems that God counsels us in the opposite direction. Maybe he can see things we can’t see when we’re stuck in our self-interest. Things like freedom, joy, peace, transcendence.

We have our hands full trying to embrace the counterintuitive, because it’s, you know, counterintuitive. But the Counselor is patient. Maybe we just need to sit with him for a bit.

Isaiah 9:6. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”