Is God Mad at Me?

Is God Mad at me? 4 min read by Chris

 

I remember a lot of things about Middle School.

First dances,

Z Cavaricci Jeans,

the belief that Ace of Base was the greatest band of all time.

But something that really sticks out? I remember many nights, lying in bed, pondering this question: Is God mad at me?

Growing up as a Christian kid, there can be this whole other layer of guilt and shame associated with your behaviors.

As a kid, you can’t really grasp the concept of a grace-filled and all-loving God.

It feels much more like there is this eternal creator being just watching your every move. There are no secrets from Him. He knows your every thought, He knows your every sin, He knows every step you take, every bond you break.  He’ll be watching you.

 

Maybe the Police were Christian kids in Middle school too? I digress.

As a middle school kid struggling with lust or acceptance, it was really difficult to think God wasn’t constantly mad or disappointed in me.

Growing up in Christian culture has its benefits for sure, but it can also pave the way for you to live a higher level of guilt and shame than the average person.

This guilt and shame can lead to stress, anxiety, worry, and depression.

While it’s life-changing to grow up with the security of a loving God who redeemed all of your mistakes and gives you the hope of eternal life. It can also be daunting to feel as if you’re constantly letting your Creator down with your every thought and mistake.

Then we tote this baggage right into adult life.

A lot of Christians deal with this, unfortunately.

So many people deal with this because they have grown up with a distorted picture of God.

 

God isn’t sitting there waiting to judge your every mistake. God isn’t in heaven drumming His massive God fingers thinking, “be good or else…”

 

Instead, God looked at His creation and resolved, “I am going to give them the very best gift I could ever give them. Instead of making them sacrifice everything to be with me, I am going to sacrifice everything to be with them.”

 

See, there are 3 things you have to realize about God.

 

1. He already knows your failures and He loves you anyway.

Misty Edwards wrote one of those worship songs that just gets you every time. It’s called “I knew what I was getting into,” and there have been seasons of my life when it has been on repeat. Check it out here.

God knows we’re human beings who have a human nature that leads us towards selfish things that appeal to our flesh. He knows there are things in this world that aren’t good for us or our families. He knows sometimes, we are going to choose to participate in those things even though they are not His best for our lives.

Sin creates baggage and choices always have consequences. That’s why He gave us His word, so we can make the best choices possible to have the fruitful life He designed us to live.

He loved us enough to send His son, the most precious thing He could sacrifice even though we wouldn’t choose His ways 100% of the time.

And He did all this knowing there is no way we can make the right choice 100% of the time.

He’s just that good.

It makes no human sense. That’s why it’s amazing grace.

Jesus helped blind people receive sight knowing those blind people would eventually look at things they shouldn’t. He healed the crippled, even though they would eventually walk into a situation they shouldn’t. He healed shriveled hands that would eventually hurt someone.

He knows the future, but chooses to love us in the moment!

 

2. He sees you as righteous

One of my favorite scriptures is found in 2 Corinthians 5:19-21

God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

When we receive the free gift of grace Jesus offered to us on the cross and put our faith in Him, God chooses to forgive all of our sins. He redeemed us and now chooses to see us through Christ as righteous.

Because of this, you can lift your head high. Your Christian life doesn’t have to feel like an emotional roller coaster. God sees you as righteous even though you get drawn into sin.

Many of us have yet to grasp this concept. It’s truth and yet it feels too good to be true.

A lot of people think if you don’t swear, get drunk, smoke, and vote Republican, you are a Christian. Yeah, not so much.

But, if you receive God’s grace and put your faith & hope in Christ, you become reconciled to a holy God and that incredible, holy God chooses to see you as righteous.

And once you believe God sees you as righteous, you begin to act righteously!

 

3. He is not punishing you for your mistakes

For a long time, I thought if anything went wrong in my life it was because God was punishing me for a mistake.

Like, if we were suddenly hit with an unexpected financial expense, it was because I wasn’t giving enough. Or when Megan & I struggled to conceive, it must have been because of something we did wrong.

But that’s not how God works.

And while it’s true, that choices have consequences, it doesn’t mean those consequences are God punishing you for your mistakes. Quite the contrary, He’s our Rescuer, our Deliverer who comes through for you even though you bring some of the baggage upon yourself.

Freedom is available for you today. You don’t have to struggle with guilt or shame. You don’t have to feel chronically condemned. God has cleansed you from your sin. God can set you free from your emotional pain. You don’t have to hold on to bitterness, animosity, fear, guilt, or shame. God can and will set you free if you choose to believe the truth of His word and give those things over to Him.

Is God mad at you?

Absolutely not. God loves you unconditionally. He is rooting you on when you do well and picking you up when you fall. All we have to do is receive His grace as truth and live empowered because of it.

Have you struggled with believing you’re a disappointment or that God is mad at you?

Until next time,

Chris

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