Why is it that it’s always so hard for us to believe that God isn’t mad at us?
Often times, we view God in a way that reflects our own human nature. Whenever we make mistakes, we think He’s going to give us the silent treatment or display other passive aggressive characteristics. It’s easy for us to think this way because all we know is what we experience here on earth.
Part of what makes us humans imperfect is the fact that we don’t extend grace most of the time. We hold grudges longer than we should, simply because we feel that we deserve to. What makes Jesus different than us is the fact that He never sinned. He always forgave and treated people with the same kindness and respect after their sin as He did before their sin.
When we hurt someone we love, they may forgive us, but they don’t always forget what we did. You know how it is – they keep a mental score. I think we all tend to do that at times, even though the Bible tells us not to. Additionally, there are some moments when we can’t even arrive at that place of forgiveness. We know how hard it is to forgive others when they really hurt us, so we tend to expect others to have the same issue with us.
Friend, can I share something with you? Although we live in a world full of remembered mistakes, score-keeping and grudges, this isn’t God’s way of doing things. You see, there’s this thing called grace.
Grace is only available to us because God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for us. When Jesus died, He made a way for us to God. Our sins could finally be forgiven the moment we confessed them to God, rather than having to wait it out and constantly try to win Him over again. And that’s just it – we don’t have to win Him over again. He loves us and His grace is extended to us, each and every time we make a mistake. When we come to Him with sincere and repentant hearts, His grace washes over us and cleanses us, even though we don’t deserve it.
Do you know that it actually says it in His Word that He throws our sins away into a sea of forgetfulness and He doesn’t think of them anymore? Can we rest on that for a moment – the sweet thought of the most perfect God choosing to completely forget about the sin we just confessed to Him? He is so good and so kind. If He stops thinking and mulling over our sin in His mind, why do we continue to think about it?
We need to start trusting Him when He says we are clean. We don’t have to give it time, be extra good, or stay at arms length so that He isn’t mad at us anymore. Rather, we simply must repent with sincerity and let go.
I don’t know what you’re holding onto today, but know that He’s not mad at you. His arms are open and the only one focusing on that sin you’ve already confessed to Him is you. So just come to Him, sweet friend. There’s compassion in His eyes and love in His heart – and He’s so ready to embrace you!
