Today, my two-year-old grandson, along with his baby brother, got into the pantry. My daughter and I were not aware of this until we heard a crash. We came running into the kitchen to find containers of doggie snacks on the floor at the boys’ feet. His mother was mad, let me tell you! I, Nana, seeing his sideways smile and raised eyebrows, thought he was the cutest boy ever, (albeit mischievous) and felt the need to protect him from his mother’s wrath. “Run!” “Hide,” I yelled! He took my advice, quickly exited the kitchen, and buried himself in the doggie bed. Well, the Holy Spirit knew this was a teachable moment for everyone and prompted me very quickly to correct myself. “No, Asher. Nana has given you bad advice. Don’t run. Don’t hide. When you do something you're not supposed to, go to Mommy and be honest. Tell her what you did.” Asher didn’t budge. I could only see his backside because he was still face down in our dog, Emma’s bed. I wanted to help; to offer support. So, I went over to him, picked him up, and stood close behind him. His momma questioned him. “Did you open the pantry door?” Silence. “Did you open the pantry door?” Denial. “Did you open the pantry door?” I whispered in his ear, “Tell Mommy what you did.” “Yes,” he said. I whispered, “Tell Mommy you're sorry. He whispered, “I’m sorry.” His mother gave him a few words of correction, and I whispered again, “Tell Mommy you're sorry.” “I’m sorry,” he said a little louder. His mother forgave him, and everyone went back to their activities. The Holy Spirit wasn’t quite finished though. During the entire scenario, he was giving me one of the best demonstrations/revelations of repentance I have ever had. When Asher made a mistake, he listened to some bad advice and ran and hid. While he was hiding, you can be sure his mind was preoccupied with thoughts about the consequences of his disobedience. Would there be a time-out? Would he have to clean up the mess? Would there be a spanking? Nothing was resolved and he was stuck in that head-down position until he was willing to stand up, be honest, and sincerely apologize for his actions. The good news is, he didn’t have to do it alone. I was standing right behind him. As a matter of fact, I was holding him. I was whispering in his ear, telling him what to do. I was there ready to defend him, if need be, to remind his mother that he is still learning and growing, that he will make mistakes sometimes, but he is still a precious child. I was struck by it all. Father God is so brilliant to allow humans to parent. The earthly role of the parent mirrors God’s role so well; perhaps better than anything else. When we find ourselves in a pickle, or a jam, or any other kind of jar, the Holy Spirit stands with us and whispers His guidance to us. He says, “Don’t run. Don’t hide. When you do something you're not supposed to, go to Father God and be honest. Tell Him what you did. Tell Him you’re sorry.” Yes, even though God forgives us, there still may be consequences for our actions. Sometimes there’s a mess we have to clean up. Sometimes there is discipline. The good news is, Jesus took the punishment for us and is the one who reminds God we are growing and maturing, that we will make mistakes sometimes, but we are still His precious child. Asher is not in the dog bed anymore (or the doghouse either.) He is playing and having a wonderful day. He repented and he moved on.

Do you think God is mad at you for something you've done?

Don't run. Don't hide. Adam and Eve did that and it didn't work out so well. You can read all about it in the Bible in Genesis chapter 3. God loves you and wants to be with you. Here's what the Bible says:

Romans 8:34 NLT "Who then will condemn us? No one- for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us."

_{Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. All rights reserved.}

1 John 1:9 CEV "But if we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away."

_{Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society.  All rights reserved.}