Does it ever feel like God must be mad at you?
For most of us, that feeling shows up when we think God is holding out on us. When He promised us something (like healing) and we aren’t seeing it happen.
We also have the tendency to believe He is punishing us when bad things are happening in our lives. We feel like He is just waiting to thump us and we don’t even know why.
Please be assured: God isn’t mad at you. Even if you were in trouble with Him, if you sinned on purpose or if you were following a path you absolutely knew was wrong, He wouldn’t attack you.
I think a lot of the concern comes from not understanding the differences between discipline and punishment. According to Merriam-Webster,
dis•ci•pline (noun \ˈdi-sə-plən\ )
1) control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed and punishing bad behavior.
This definition shows clearly that discipline and punishment are not the same things. Proper discipline is guidance; proper punishment is the deterrent after bad behavior is practiced.
God’s discipline is loving, no matter what your parents or your church or anyone else told you.
The Bible says that He disciplines those He loves. If you are a child of God, you will receive discipline. In essence, He will teach you right from wrong. He will guide you in the way you should go. And, since you are His child, if you need to be punished (pretty rare, in my experience), it’s not to damage you. It’s to get your attention and change your behavior.
This subject has caused a lot of confusion. People have misused Scripture to justify abusing children. Maybe that happened to you.
It’s time to learn the truth.
This is part 22 of a series on abuse recovery
Part 1| Am I Alone in my Pain?
Part 2| Do You Have Hope?
Part 3| Putting Your Hope in God is Safe
Part 4| How Do We Lose Our Hope?
Part 5| Growing up Without Hope
Part 6| Scripture Promises Can Stimulate Hope
Part 7| Hope Can be Found in Journaling
Part 8|Every Journey Begins with This
Part 9| Why Do We Quit Too Soon?
Part 10| Don’t Let These Stop You!
Part 11| Learning Too Much Can Stop Your Progress
Part 12| Is Fear of Change Hindering Your Healing?
Part 13| Are You Afraid You Don’t Deserve Healing?
Part 14| What if God Doesn’t Want Me to Be Healed?
Part 15| What if I Can’t Fight Long Enough for My Healing?
Part 16| Are You Living with Shame from Your Past?
Part 17| Do You Feel Like You Hate Your Own Soul?
Part 18| Shame
Part 19| Getting Rid of Shame
Part 20| God Has Good Plans for You
Part 21|Healing is Simple But Not Easy
all illustrations courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net