There was a blockbuster move in the ‘90s called Twister. No, it’s not about the awkward board game. It was a feature-length movie about tornadoes! My family watched gleefully as cows got sucked up into the sky and cars got thrown around like frisbees. This birthed a weird passion in me— I was obsessed with watching footage of tornadoes.
I knew what these storms were capable of, but my entire perspective changed when my town was hit by a massive twister in 2012. I experienced the sky going pitch black, winds making trees lay on their sides, frantic sirens screeching, and potato-sized hail plummeting from the sky. After the storm settled, I vividly remember walking around a vacant lot that used to be a Lowe’s hardware store. The storm had destroyed every square inch. Cars were flipped over. Trees littered the streets. A massive metal rod had pierced a wall like a tooth-pick through a sandwich. It was horrifying.
There is a huge difference in having information and having an experience.
John opens up his gospel by telling the story of Jesus both creating Earth and then coming down to Earth. He explains, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (1:14). Yes, God sees us. Yes, God knows us. However, Jesus went a step further when He chose to live among us. The God of the universe moved in next door.
God stepped down as a human into a little town in Israel. He had to deal with sunburn, acne, and hunger. He knew what it was like to laugh with His best friends and to be betrayed. He suffered through homelessness, physical pain, loss, and even death.
Jesus experienced the joys, pains, sorrows, and awkwardness of being human. We can find hope in that. Whatever you are going through, there is a personal God that loves you and can honestly say, “I get it. I’ve been there too.”
God isn’t merely above us or beyond us; He is with us.