I got mad this week. Really, really angry. A long time ago a friend had made two promises to me. For several decades the first promise had been kept and I waited in hope for the second to be kept.
It was a conditional promise. An agreement that if I did certain things, he would do certain things. I felt I had kept my end of the bargain. (Not always with the best attitude or with the highest standards–BUT dog gone it, I had done it. I kept my end of the argument).
Then one day last week some things happened that made it seem, in my mind, as if it would be impossible for the promise to be kept.
I exploded in anger. I was downright mad. I said some harsh things. Words that would often destroy a relationship. I unloaded.
I told my friend that if he was going to be that way, I would cut him out of my life. I would stop doing the things he wanted me to do. I would have nothing to do with him. I would stop talking to him.
The problem was that it was God. He failed me. He let me down. I said I would show him. I would stop going to Church. I would stop talking to him. I would stop listening to him. I would stop doing several other things. I would show him!
I stewed in my anger for several days. Rehearsing in my mind how I had been wronged. What I felt betrayed about did not have to do with me as much as it had to do with people I loved.
God didn’t seem to respond but I could sense his nearness. I could not sense any anger on his part. No retaliation, no getting even. I could sense that he was there waiting.
That was the situation for several days. I am hurt. I am angry. I see no hope.
Then out of the blue someone made a comment to me. It was simple. A message of hope. A message that my perception of the situation was wrong. And it was very, very clear GOD HAD SPOKEN. He did not retaliate. He did not cut me off. He was not mad at me. He responded to give me hope. My anger melted immediately and I felt very loved and at peace. I sensed that he put his arm around me and we started walking together into the future He had planned. He would keep his promise regardless of my reaction. I had lost hope. He had not.
I am human. I react. I respond as a human. He is Jesus. God in the flesh. Loving. Kind. Accepting. He understands. He became a human, a man. Because of that, the Bible tells us he understands the human condition. He accepts us as we are. His relationship with us is such that when we get mad—He doesn’t. When we turn our back on him—he stands there waiting for us to turn to him. Even when our back is turned to him—He is reaching out to us in love. When we do things that would break most relationships, he does not turn away. He doesn’t turn loose when we do. He is more committed to the relationship than we are.
Now, I can’t wait to see how he will keep his promise…… I know he will.
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
John 1:14 NLT