RE-MEETING GOD
God isn’t just a metaphor anymore. He isn’t just “energy”
or he isn’t “the universe.” Not anymore. While it may be
impossible to understand him completely, he wants to be
understood. If he really loved us, would he be satisfied if we
perceived him in such a vague manner?
Over the past few months, I’ve been spending a lot of
time learning about Christianity. I grew up in a religious
household, but not a Christian one. After a period of
staunch atheism, inspired by my AP science classes in high
school, I opened up to God a little. I became convinced
that acts of humility and kindness were inherently “good”
and acts of exploitation and excessive pride were inherently
“bad.” And from there I became convinced that science
could not explain everything away, so I relinquished “okay,
there’s something more, there is something like a God.”
But it was still so abstract. There was acknowledgement,
but no substantial relationship. I had only a slight idea of
his nature- that he was beyond space and time. Now how
abstract can you get? In a way, it was like he was on a
distant stage and I was in the audience applauding him.
I was applauding him for the beautiful universe he crafted
and the way he designed my life. And I was pretty satisfied
with that.
ACCORDING TO THE GOSPEL, GOD
DOESN’T WANT TO BE ON STAGE
ALL THE TIME. HE WANTS TO COME
DOWN AND BE WITH THE AUDIENCE.
Have you ever met someone before, didn’t really get close
to them, but then met them again in a new context? And
the second time, for some reason, was completely different,
as if you met the person all over again? After going to the
Brown Christian Fellowship fall retreat last semester, that is
exactly what has been happening between me and God. I
met God for a second time.
The Christian concept of God is vastly different from what I
believed God to be before. According to the Gospel, God
doesn’t want to be on stage all the time. He wants to come
down and be with the audience. He doesn’t want to be
abstract and distant; he wants to literally walk with us in
the flesh. Was it me re-meeting God or was he coming
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MITCH AKUTSU
down to meet me? I don’t know, but I’m starting to suspect
the latter. Over the past few months it’s been great trying
to meet a friend in a completely new light. Besides the
cliché adjectives like refreshing, inspiring, and awesome,
I would say the experience has mostly been humbling.
Over the years, I’ve been spinning my own concepts and
expectations on God. Thoughts included: “If he exists he
I WAS LIMITING GOD THE SAME WAY I
LIMIT COUNTLESS OTHER PEOPLE ON
A DAILY BASIS - WITH UNREASONABLE
EXPECTATIONS AND FALSE STEREOTYPES.
has to fit this theology,” or “I have to spend this much time
praying to become closer to him,” or “there’s no way he can
interfere with the very laws of physics he created.” Well, I
think I was limiting God the same way I limit countless other
people on a daily basis - with unreasonable expectations
and false stereotypes. To even consider that God really did
walk the earth as Jesus and continues to do so through
the Holy