Picture this: You arrive at the airport, check in at the gate, board the plane and take your seat. You are a little harried to get settled, but not so rushed that you don’t recognize that your seatmate is God Himself. After the beverages have been served, and the plane has leveled off at a comfortable 37,000 feet, you turn to God and ask, “Sir, I was wondering, do you like me?”

“You’ve got to be kidding! Any seat on this airplane would be better than this seat. I don’t like the smell of what you are drinking, and I’m embarrassed by the sorry effort you call ‘Christian living’.”

Or maybe He would say, “Let me reiterate, I do love you. But to say I like you feels as though I am condoning the failures in your life, and don’t get me started on those or we will never get finished. I mean, how can you say you love me and then succumb to doubting me on such a regular basis? How can you claim to know me and visit the sites on the Internet you do?”

Perhaps He might respond, “Like you? I don’t like anyone. Remember, I’m God, and that is synonymous with King of kings. Don’t try to humanize me.

I must admit, I am appreciative of the power you wield in my name, the money you give to the church, the compassion you exhibit toward the young widow next door, and the effort you make at teaching Sunday School. But to say I like you is beneath me.”

But then He just might say, “That’s a great question. Glad you asked. Let me answer this way: I would rather die than live without you. When you chose me after I had chosen you, I asked the angels to sing in heaven to express my joy. My heart turned back flips the day you asked me to live in your heart.

“In my Book, I inspired Moses to record that I am the creator of heaven and earth. That is a true statement. But you are the reason I create. You know the Mockingbird that sings on the ridge of your garage roof? I sent him to sing for you. Those Begonias blooming in the flower pot by your back door? I made them blossom for you. That moving feeling you have when your favorite song comes on the radio? I like to dance and thought you might enjoy it as well.

“Yes, I like you. In fact, I like you more than anything in heaven and on earth. I would rather live in you than anywhere else, and believe me, my options are wide open on places to live. But I choose everyday to live in you because anyplace other than with you is no place.

“It does bother me that you don’t like yourself. It is as though you are saying I have poor taste because I like you. Let’s face it, I paid dearly for the honor of living in you.

And as long as we are on this subject, it is also distressing to me that you attempt to be ‘good enough’ for me. Do you remember how you used to feel when your mom would redo the dishes after you had already done them? That’s kind of how I feel when you try to make yourself worthy of me. I’ve already taken care of that issue or I wouldn’t be sitting here next to you. After all, I did know what seat they were assigning me on this flight. I asked to sit next to you.

“Like I said, I would rather die than live without you. All I ask is that you believe me.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, please remain seated until the plane has come to a complete stop at the gate and the seatbelt sign has been turned off. Flight attendants, please prepare for arrival.”

As you know, it is not enough to believe.

Get up from your seat now, gather your things, and walk forward as the loved, liked seatmate of Yahweh Elohim.