We used to have a dog that hated the Fourth of July and New Year’s Eve . . .

She was terrified of loud sounds. Fireworks drove her into a frenzy. She would always run for our bed, dive under it and lie there trembling until the noise stopped. That usually meant that she would stay there for hours, unless we drug her out and held her. If the fireworks were still going off, even if we were holding her, she’d violently tremble and attempt to get out of our arms to head back to under the bed.

She was terrified of something that made a lot of noise and had no rationale for the fear, except the noise.

Much like some friends of mine at church.

These folks talk of “living radically for Jesus,” of being “totally open” to him. They even do good and proactive things. They really are good people. Better than average type of Christians.

But they’re like my dog.

Loud noises, especially God-noises, really frightens them. They run for the comfortable and blend in. Doesn’t matter how much you try to “hold them” to let them know everything is all right, they’re terrified of the God-noise. They don’t understand, won’t understand, and that frightens them.

I guess you’re wondering, just what is a “God-noise?”

I watched a movie last night called “Powder.” I’d never heard of it. Great movie! And, it illustrates God-noise perfectly. The main character develops amazing mental powers due to a freak accident at birth. He is an outcast, makes people really uncomfortable because he is an albino. He freaks them out because of what he is able to do with his brain. All he wants is to be accepted and loved. He touches people with his amazing abilities and shows them what love and life really mean. That freaks them out. They ostracize him, persecute him, beat and humilate him. They avoid him like the plague. He does the unbelieveable, makes a “noise,” and people dive under the “bed” to get away from him.

God steps into our lives and he doesn’t do it quietly. He blows in like a whirlwind. Doubt that? Simply read through the Word and you’ll be astounded at the manner his entry is described. He has no interest in us having a comfortable life, in things being nice, “blessed,” and safe. To the contrary, he expects us to live on the edge, live dangerously, live with abandon. He will disrupt our lives to accomplish this. When he does, it becomes God-noise. It’s loud, frightening, scarey. Our natural tendency is to dive under the bed, just like my friends. Shucks! Just like me.

My friends castrate their faith by diving under the bed, by not giving themselves fully to what God is calling them. I do the same thing. I guess the difference is that when God drags me out from under the bed, kicking and screaming, and hugs me to calm my fears that I don’t break free and jump back under the bed. It’s not that I don’t want to — I do! But something about that hug makes me swallow my fear and hold on for dear life.

Read through 1 Peter, especially chapter 4. Instead of acting like a scaled dog at the God-noise, hang on for the ride!