Good Grief!
Good Grief!
Genesis 6:5-6
The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
Genesis 6 provides wonderful examples of the anthropomorphic language of God—of the way He stoops down to the level of our own human emotions and feelings to describe Himself—but I find His heartbreak here in verse five deeply uncomfortable to read. Why? Because it forces me to evaluate the quality of my own heart on the basis of what grieves me most. Do I grieve more when my favorite team loses the game or when my car gets a flat tire than I do when I willfully sin against God? Does it really pain me, I mean does it break my heart to think that my thoughts, words, and deeds have sometimes done more to conceal the tapestry of redemption (and break my Father’s heart) than to convey it (and make my Father proud)?
I challenge you, friend: take time to confess your sin to God today, to truly face up to it, and then bathe your heart afresh in His mercy.