Sneak Attack!!

So heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest

I don't have time to maintain these regrets

When I think about the way

He loves us

As a musician in the church my entire life, I have kept tabs on a lot of the "latest" and greatest worship songs (which has gotten much more difficult in the last few years).    This song, "How He Loves" by John Mark McMillan has been one of the most popular for the last couple years, and rightfully so.   It's such a beautiful portrait of the vast love of God for us, and it immediately strikes to the very deepest need in us.    It is also one of the most controversial songs for that line that includes "sloppy wet kiss."     There are already many blogs about the "change of lyrics" and the great debate around whether or not that line was "appropriate", and this is NOT one of those blogs.      

I only mention the song as a bit of a back story to the real point I hope to get to.  I was reading a blog today about a completely different song, but this one was mentioned with it's "controversial line", and it just made me giggle a little bit.    You see, my dog, Daisy, is also part frog.    Or at least, she has the tongue of a frog.   I am not exaggerating.   When she's tired, her tongue hangs out about 6 inches.   She can lick the bottom of a peanut butter jar- a regular sized one!   And once, when she was a particularly devious puppy, she snagged chips from my plate like a frog snags flies.      Daisy is particularly fond of using her freakishly long, sandpaper-ish tongue to exfoliate any skin she sees (she calls that "kisses").      Her most "sloppy wet kiss" is the "sneak attack".    

The sneak attack usually starts with Daisy cuddling up to you, asleep, lulling you into a false sense of security.   As soon as you look away, or start working on the computer, she will sit up and "kiss" your ear and the base of your neck.    Or, when you're laying in bed half awake, she'll pretend to cuddle up to you, then just start "kissing" your face.   It's always startling, but so sweet.   It's like she just wants you to know that she's still here and still loves you lots. 

While I wouldn't say that Daisy is like God (although "dog" does have the same letters...just sayin'!), but I do think that the "sneak attack" is a God-like quality.   Throughout the Bible we see that God "suddenly" shows up on the scene.   There was that time that Elijah was hiding out and "suddenly" God spoke to him.   Or the time that Daniel was praying and "suddenly" there was a Man who appeared in the likeness of God.   And then there was the upper room when "suddenly" there was a mighty, rushing wind.   What about Saul on the road to Damascus?  "Suddenly" a light shone, and his life was so radically changed that he needed a new name!    

The beautiful thing about it is that God is still the same "Suddenly" God!    Take for instance, today.   I've recently blogged about the reorganization at work, and I will tell you that I've had some concerns about how it will turn out for me.    Today, while talking to one of my colleagues, I heard something that I really needed to hear that just encouraged my heart right at the point of my biggest concern.   It was a "sloppy wet kiss" sneak attack kinda moment, when God said, "I'm still here and I love you lots."    

Yummy Peanut Butter!!!