DON'T BE AFRAID OF GOD

Jesus, help me trust you instead of being scared of you. Amen!

"If you love me, keep my commandments," Jesus said. "Whoever does that is someone who loves me. My father will love them, and I will love them and be with them, too."

Some kids grow up feeling scared of God. The adults around them act like God is scary -- always watching and waiting for a kid to make a mistake -- so, instead of feeling close to Jesus and trusting Him, kids get worried and afraid.

One reason people get scared of God is that they don't feel like they know what He is going to do. They have been told God will punish them for mistakes, and that's all they think about. They forget the whole part about His forgiving people, too!

If you feel a little afraid of God, this week's Gospel (John 14:15-21) might reassure you. It's about Jesus telling us how to follow Him, and how happy things will turn out when we do!

If you're afraid of being punished, you'll probably try to do everything perfectly so there's no reason to punish you.

But no one is perfect, so of course you'll make mistakes. If you think God is the one who's going to punish you, that can be scary!

But that's not what Jesus taught. In the Gospel story, He didn't say God expected anyone to be perfect. He just told people to obey the 10 Commandments: Listen to God, and don't kill, steal, lie, or be disrespectful and jealous of others.

Also, Jesus asked people to love each other as much as they love themselves.

Jesus didn't finish that lesson by threatening people with punishment, either. He said that, if you try your best to do what He asked, God will be with you, loving and helping you.

Jesus would have been surprised that any kid would be scared of God, who loves you so much!

(04/24/08)