How does God handle a brat?

“A brat?” you ask.

Yes, you know, the person, regardless of chronological age, who throws hissy fits, talks back, is never satisfied, and who whines and complains. The one who skirts the rules or flat-out breaks them, ignoring consequences. The person who cannot handle “no” or “wait,” who acts like the world revolves around him or her, and who thinks he or she deserves special treatment and, thus, manipulates situations. The one who, to top it off, is a sore loser.

Hmmm . . . Sounds a lot like certain periods of my life.

Sadly, this attitude is universal and dates back to soon after creation. Our first parents, dissatisfied with what they had, coveted what they did not have. They distrusted their Father, sinned, and then blamed each other when they had to fess up. Then there was the mother and son who, impatient for a spiritual inheritance, manipulated their situation and lied to their family. And let us not forget the entire nation (appropriately called children), which did nothing but murmur, complain and rebel despite being delivered from a hopeless situation and then having their needs met.

How does God handle a brat? Perhaps He loves them like Alexa Sharma loved a 5-year-old boy (p. 6). Rather than giving in to his bad behavior, his acting out in a quest for attention, any attention, whether good or bad, she patiently, yet persistently, insisted he do what was right. And when he did, she praised him for his good behavior and promised that it would make the world a much better place for him.

Fortunately, God recognizes our spiritual immaturity and urges us to replace childishness with a childlike faith, marked by trust and humility (Matthew 18:2-4). To do so, God offers to transform our lives from the inside out by writing His law of love upon our hearts and minds (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26; Romans 12:2, 13:8-10). And He promises that if we walk in His ways, the Holy Spirit will fill us with His fruits (Galatians 5:16-23). Thank God for His grace, mercy and patience.

He loves us too much to leave us where we are.

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