Tom Cruise always seems to play the same basic character type.

My husband enjoys a good action movie. So over the years I have seen more than a few of them myself. (and yes at certain parts, I close my eyes. I HATE seeing people beat each other up!) But I was pondering the basic plots and was struck by something.

I want you to think of any Tom Cruise movie you've seen. Or something like that. At least for the ones I've seen, Tom Cruise always seems to play the same basic character type. Incredibly dangerous but also incredibly morally strong. He can do the same things as the bad guys and often does. He has the same skills, the same knowledge and abilities. But instead of using it to terrorize the innocent, he uses his abilities to take down the wicked.

At times the hero is just as terrifying as the villain. But the hero has a good moral code he lives by, and therefore, feels safer. But when you think about it, when you stop and actually think through what the hero does and how he does it, well, he's actually quite terrifying. He's powerful and unstoppable. But he's also a nice guy, and more importantly, a good guy.

We don't like to think how the hero could kill anyone at a moment's notice, or take down entire governments with his insight and manipulation. Instead we like to think how the hero protected the child, stopped the criminal, and saved the vulnerable. The hero's a nice guy, and that's it.

Sometimes I think we do the same with God. We focus on the Bible stories that give us comfort and make us feel 'safe.' We love the picture of Jesus blessing the children, but let's not spend too much time on how He overturned the tables shall we. We love the story of God helping David defeat Goliath, but what about God going toe to toe with the gods of Egypt, winning, and then drowning the entire Egyptian army in the sea. Not exactly Sunday school appropriate. 

It's good to be reminded that God is God, and therefore, in some ways He is terrifying, especially for the wicked. On the one hand… He is the God who protects the weak and the vulnerable. Who hears the cries of the lonely and hurting. But He is also the God who punishes evil and judges the wicked. 

He's still God. 

What part of God's character are you most thankful for?