Do you remember when you were young and you did something really dumb, ending up in real trouble?  For some kids, the admonition was, “Just wait until your father gets home!”  With trepidation, you waited for your dad to walk into your room to which you had been banished.  For me, the fear leading up to the punishment was worse than the punishment itself.  But my father was always gentle with me.  Yes, he spanked me, but he did it with tears in his eyes and a hug afterwards.  As I got older, I was still doing dumb things sometimes, like the time I reversed my new Volkswagen into my father’s wreck truck.  I didn’t have to wait for daddy to get home.  He was already there and I had to go into the den to confront him and my big mistake.  With halting steps, I remember walking into that den like it was full of wild animals, stood before my father who was reading the newspaper in his recliner, and admitted what I had just done.  I expected yelling and taking away my car keys, being grounded for a long time, etc.  But none of that happened.  Daddy just looked at me and reminded me that I am supposed to look behind me when I am in reverse.  Then he went out to look at the damage and declared that he could take care of it in his body shop.  That collision was a source of laughter and teasing for us right up until my beloved father passed away.

Now, imagine that you have things to tell God.  You sinned or you need help with something too big for you to handle.  For me, it was how angry I became at God when my best friend died.  After all, I had been praying for her for months and I expected God to answer the way I wanted, i.e. with a complete healing.  I had made plans to go to the beach with Heidi and to spend time with her at our favorite restaurant.  But she was gone.  And I was angry.  But I still wanted to talk to God.  So, I prayed and I honestly told Him how I was feeling.  You know, He is big enough to handle emotions like anger from the children that He loves.  He calmed my spirit and spoke to my heart.  He dealt with my grief for weeks.  During a time when I should have been moving forward with God, I was stuck in a dark place that I didin’t like.  I didn’t turn away from God though; I went right into His throne room and told Him how hurt and disappointed I was that I had lost my best friend, the only one I have had in all of my adult years because of all of our moves.  But God already knew how desolate I was feeling.  He met me right where I was and gave me time to heal and come back to Him with joy and thanksgiving.  How was I able to be so honest with God?  It’s all about relationships.

God could have brushed my grief and resulting anger aside and disciplined me for being so disrespectful to Him.  Instead, He patiently waited for me to stop ranting and to listen for His voice.  He offered me grace and then mercy.  I repented and He forgave.  He knew my heart better than I did myself.  Since that time of darkness, I have continued to go to God’s throne room with love and awe for who He is and who He is always becoming for me.  I read His Word daily, with the expectation that He will speak to me through it.  ]

It is my hope, my prayer, that you have found the peace that lies in knowing that our Heavenly Father will listen to whatever you have to say and will speak to you in a still small voice to get you back on the right path.  He loves us enough to meet us where we are, not to insist that we be perfect but to let us know that we are accepted and changing daily to be more like His Son Jesus.  He died for us so that we can approach God’s throne and tell Him our needs honestly, without fear of reprisal.  He is not a God of reprisals; He is the God of mercy and grace, the only One who loves us infinitely more than we could ever understand.  God bless those of you seeking and those of you who have already discovered this great love!