When I was younger, I was a hothead with a  bowl cut. I would get mad about EVERYTHING. Learning to tie my shoes was the worst. I would mess up and then say, “I’ll never tie my shoes ever!” and then I would swear off shoelaces for the rest of my life and just wear flops (which coincidentally….). My mom taught me to say, “I’m not mad at you, I’m just mad at the situation.” Yes, anger was rampant. I think it’s because I was fat.

The book of Jeremiah is pretty much God showing his wrath on the Israelites because they have turned from Him. He goes into detail about how He’s going to hand them over to their enemies and they’re all gonna die and no one will be alive to bury them and other equally horrible atrocities. I mean, God seems pretty upset. But because this is the Living Word, I can feel an underlying tone. I feel that God is truly saddened. He’s hurt that His people have chosen stone and wood over his love and protection. He is mourning the loss of his beloved.  He is disciplining His children but He would rather delight in them. What an awful thing to know that every time I sin, I hurt God this much- that under the Old Covenant, God would have struck me down. Just more motivation to follow him closely.