When We Are Hurt and Pray for “God to Take Care of …”, For What Are We Asking???

Have you ever watched a pair of toddler siblings display how to solve the other’s wrongdoing? The sibling seeing or receiving the misbehavior screams for Mommy or Daddy to come. Once the parent is on scene, the “good” child, blow by blow, relates the “naughty” child’s misdeed — he hit me, she took my toy, he won’t share his toy, she made fun of me, etc., etc., etc. Then, the “perfect” child, having placed the wrong in parental hands, sits back, anticipating judgment and punishment to be delivered. Now, if by chance Mommy or Daddy shows mercy instead of “just” discipline, the “perceived faultless one” is outraged. Truly, the tyke sees mercy solely as “ME”rcy. Let the hatchet fall on everyone else!!!

I’m pretty sure we, all, are chuckling over this scenario. How many times we’ve, probably, seen this exact happening, and the script is always similar. It’s human nature, born within, and outside revealed, from a toddler’s tender age and beyond. Question is, aren’t we to outgrow this when we are re-born into Christianity? Honest answer is yes; but, so often, we don’t.

Our New Testament Lord is one of grace, mercy and love. Each and every one of us, gratefully, accepts this personally unmerited gift for ourselves; but with its bestowal on others, too often, we revert to wishing on them Old Testament wrath.

I don’t think the struggle for us is putting the injustice of being wronged into God’s hands. Rather, it is to relinquish to God the power to be merciful over judgmental, loving over angry, forgiving over punishing. We tend to want God to heal us but wound those who have hurt us. This is our fallen and human nature; but Christ calls us, and the Holy Spirit enables us, to be so much more.

Many cliches address our call to follow the Golden Rule. However, for us Christians, we are, first and foremost, called to dwell upon how our sinful nature was borne on the outstretched arms of our crucified Redeemer and atoned for by His very words: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34. Should we not, at least, strive for our lives to echo the same, and then, willingly, leave God’s choice for mercy or judgement to Him, and Him alone?