Un-bear-able

I was in big trouble. We were staying at our vacation home in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and I had done something that really pushed mom and dad over the edge. I can't remember exactly what it was, but I do remember being sent downstairs to my room for the rest of the day... and there was still a lot of the day left to go.

It was the worst punishment, sorta like being stuck in some kind of asylum (okay, not that bad, but you get my drift). The rooms at our chalet were all so boring, since the idea was that they were meant to suit any guest or renter. I mean, they were nice rooms but not anything like my blue, cloud-painted bedroom at home with books, games, and clutter that could entertain for hours. There was just a bed, a closet, a lamp and a few pieces of furniture. Being stuck in an empty room was torture, especially considering I was at that stage in my life where patience hadn't fully developed.

Boy, was I headstrong. I slammed the door as hard as I could to make sure mom and dad knew what horrible parents they were for punishing me so cruelly over something so stupid. I threw myself onto the bed, beat my pillow a few times, and laid down facing the window opposite of the door so nobody would open it and see me crying.

Mom and dad left me alone and I felt every quiet, long minute. What was maybe a half hour felt like two. Part of me hoped that they would eventually knock, offer forgiveness and we'd all agree to start over. But my other half was bitter to the point I was planning an escape route.

Needless to say, it was one of my more melodramatic childhood days.

This next part I'll never forget. I was lying in bed looking out the window through my teary eyes when I saw it. I lost my breath for a quick second before letting out an ear-piercing scream. A big, black monster passed in front of the window just three feet away from my face! After I processed that the gigantic, grim creature was a bear, my mind started racing. My first thought was that only a thin sheet of glass separated me from the beast. My second thought was that it was hungry. My third thought was that I was going to die.

I jumped out of the bed and bolted out the door faster than a policeman could say "yes" to a doughnut. I flailed my arms and hollered, "MOM! DAD! SAVE ME!" all the way up the steps until I was finally safe in their arms.

We looked through a side window of the house and watched the bear walk down the driveway and away into the woods. It was gone... phew! I was alive... thank God. I was out of my room... success.

My punishment was called off thanks to the unexpected circumstance and to the sincere pity my parents had toward me, fearing for my life.

We all have days when we anger people we care about or do things that cause those we love to be angry back at us. As children of God, there are times when we upset our Father and, likewise, times when we feel mad at Him. Such is the reality and consequence of our humanity brushing against His perfectness.

God may choose to distance Himself for a while or become silent so that we learn a lesson. But His intentions are that of any good, loving parent. In our bitterness, we may react immaturely and slam the door of our heart as loud as we can. Yet there is a natural hope that He soon returns, knocking on the door with an offering of forgiveness. And He does.

But sometimes we run back to Him before He comes back to us. When we feel afraid or threatened by things of this world, we know that we can rush to and be held safe in His arms.

I may have been downstairs moping in my room, but I knew all along that mom and dad were close-by upstairs and that they still loved me even though I upset them. I'm sure they heard my feet pound up the steps, and they accepted me with forgiving hearts. God is the same way. He's upstairs, never too far away, and He hears us when we come running. He loves us, no more no less, even though we make mistakes. He welcomes us with open hands and forgets any unresolved anger.

Isaiah 41:10 says, "Do not be afraid for I am with you."

We can find peace in Him. As it is written, "Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in Him, for He shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between His shoulders." (Deuteronomy 33:12)

If we listen to what our Father is trying to teach us in the silence, nothing becomes unbearable.

-Rachel