Read an Excerpt
The Wisdom of Tenderness
What Happens When God's Fierce Mercy Transforms Our Lives
Chapter One
The Wisdom of Tenderness
Every change in the quality of a person's life must grow out of a change in his or her vision of reality. The Christian accepts the Word of Jesus Christ as the master vision of reality. Jesus' Person and teaching shape our understanding of God, the world, other people, and ourselves. This shaping exercises a decisive influence on the Christian's lifestyle.
A simple example: If we accept the revelation of Jesus that God is Father, that there's "one God and Father of all, who is over all, and works through all, and is in all" (Eph. 4:6), then we're making a statement, not just about God but about ourselves. To say, "Abba, Father," in the Spirit is to say that we're children. It's to acknowledge that other people are our brothers and sisters in the human family. This understanding affects our lifestyle because it implies acceptance of others and responsibility for others: we do our best to give family members whatever they need. This familial relationship is to be taken literally, for it's a thing of flesh and blood in the bond of the Holy Spirit. True Christian community is the realization and actualization of "Our Father, who art in heaven."
Classic author A.W. Tozer sees the link between our perception of God and our understanding of humankind as crucial. He writes,
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.... Were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, "What comes into your mind when you think about God?" we might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man. Were we to know exactly what our most influential religious leaders think of God today, we might be able with some precision to foretell where the church will stand tomorrow.<
