God As Parent

And the Lord said to the Israelites, "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you; and you cried to me and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet you have abandoned me and worshiped other gods, therefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry to the gods whom you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress." And the Israelites said to the Lord, "We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you; but deliver us this day." So they put away the foreign gods from among them and worshiped the Lord; and he could no longer bear to see Israel suffer. Judges 10: 11-16 NRSV

God is such a parent.

The child has gotten into trouble again and again; and each time the parent has gotten up in the middle of the night and gone down to the party, or the friend's lake house, or the police station or the high school.

Then the parent has had enough.

"Let your so-called friends save you as you put so much time and energy doing what they say rather than what your parent says!"

But the child apologizes, throws out the cigarettes, gets a decent hair cut, comes in before curfew, does their chores and more around the house and greatly improves their grades.

"I'll do whatever you ask, but please get these bullies off my back!"

Out of love and compassion, the parent does as the child has sincerely asked with great repentance.

God is such a parent: a loving, merciful and compassionate parent.

Thanks be to God!

Amen.

Question of the day: For what do you need to ask repentance?

Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims