When You Think God Is Mad At You

Last week I was leaving the grocery store during a peak time. The parking lot was busier than usual, and without realizing it I drove right through a stop sign at the end of a parking row.

As a result, a man in a big pickup truck had to hit the brakes and stop for me. He was less than thrilled. As he used choice words and shook his fist, I was mortified. I wanted to slide under the steering wheel and hide. I hoped to never see that guy again!

When I was thinking about this later in the day (because as much as I love Frozen, I tend to have a hard time letting things go), I realized something: Sometimes we view God as the angry guy in the truck. We think He must be mad when we mess up—when we take a wrong turn. And as a result, we want to hide from him.

I bet I’m not the only one who feels that way, and I’m definitely not the first one.

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden by eating the forbidden fruit, they hid from God. Well, they thought they were hiding from God; you can’t really hide from Him. We tend to avoid people we think are mad at us. It’s a natural reaction, and it reminds me of something God taught me over a decade ago.

There’s this one specific instance in college that I’ll never forget. I was leaving my apartment to go somewhere and had just spoken with someone on the phone. When I was talking to them, I had . . . stretched the truth. Okay, I lied. I don’t even remember what it was about, but I lied to the person.

As I walked to my car with my head held down, I thought this quick prayer: “God, I am so embarrassed I just did that. I don’t know why You put up with me.”

And y’all, the very next second, God spoke these words to me: “Oh Christy, I don’t put up with you. I adore you.” Tears are filling my eyes as I write this even now. I’ll never forget that moment. That’s the God we serve—a God that loves us even when we mess up.

I love this quote from Dave Ramsey: “God’s not mad at you; He misses you.”

So when you feel like a failure, remember that you don’t have to hide. Don’t let shame or embarrassment put a wall or a wedge between you and God. Instead, do the exact opposite and run to your heavenly Father. Because He is a Father that doesn’t just put up with you; He adores you.

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For more inspiration from Christy, listen to the Business Boutique podcast! New episodes are available every other week.