As a child I remember times when I had done wrong and was justly disciplined. The times that affected me most significantly, however, were the times when my actions brought disappointment rather than anger. I think I prefer an angry response over disappointment!
Anger is about something that we have done; disappointment is about who we are. And while some behavior is indicative of an underlying character flaw, bringing disappointment, some is just our sin nature rising up, bringing anger. It is so much easier to modify our behavior than it is to change who we are.
When we talk about the fear of God we most often think of terror and God’s wrath. But what if the fear of God is really more about being afraid to let Him down? What if we have thought that God was angry with us when, in fact, He was simply disappointed?
What if we changed the way we look at, and think about sin? How more conscientious might we be if we didn’t want to disappoint our loving Heavenly Father, than if we just didn’t want to make Him angry?
Give these questions a ponder as you go through the day, and the rest of the week.
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