“Look At Me, Mommy!”

“Look at me, Mommy!” a young voice called. Glancing up from our conversation, my friend and I beheld her young daughter hanging by her knees outside a second floor railing, directly above a concrete basement entry.

“Get down from there right now!” The child heard only anger in Cindy’s voice; I heard terror.

The girl reached us safely to be met by a fierce hug and sharp scolding. And I was left to ponder the nature of parental anger.

We are the Children of God. The Bible says so. “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.“( John 1:11-12 NLT) Unlike human parents, God is the perfect Father, never taken surprise by the things we do, never taking His eye from us.

But we read about His anger, particularly in the Old Testament. And now I wonder if that is really what is happening. Is it perhaps a child’s misunderstanding a caring parent? Is the angry voice the one most quickly heard and obeyed?

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Lord, so often in Your Word I see Your “anger” turned toward Your children the Israelites. And so often it is because they are in danger of truly hurting themselves. And when I look back in my own life, I see that often what I thought was punishment was simply You removing me from a dangerous place or hurtful choice. Thank You for protecting me so well. Help me remember this: that what feels like anger may really be a manifestation of love. Because the Old Testament also says:

God is sheer mercy and grace;
    not easily angered, he’s rich in love.
He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold,
    nor hold grudges forever.
He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve,
    nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.
As high as heaven is over the earth,
    so strong is his love to those who fear him.
And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
    he has separated us from our sins.
As parents feel for their children,
    God feels for those who fear him. Psalm 103: 8-13 MSG