July 30
Psalms 95:8
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness.
Edgar was being a brat. Whenever Edgar didn't get his way, he was a brat. As if a secret button had been pushed, the minute Edgar heard the word no, he began to whine, kick, scream, stomp, pout, throw things, and cry. After that, he would do nothing that was asked of him. He became stubborn and rebellious. At those times, everyone just backed off and left Edgar alone. Who wants to be too close to a brat?
Sometimes we're brats. We don't get things the way we want them, so we pout and harden our hearts toward God. God is patient with us, but sometimes He has to put some distance between us until we settle down. God doesn't want to deal with our bratiness any more than we want to deal with the bratiness of children. In time, we learn to deal with our disappointments, and like children, we finally learn that pouting gets us nowhere.
Prayer: Lord, help me to grow up, to be a mature Christian, one who has learned to accept disappointment and adversity. Strengthen my heart, and give me patience. Amen.
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