6-7 God spoke to Cain: “Why this tantrum? Why the sulking?
If you do well, won’t you be accepted?
And if you don’t do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it’s out to get you, you’ve got to master it.”
Genesis 4:6-7 (The Message)
This was a life changing verse for me when I was a young adult. I had always thought (as a child) that by age 21 I would be “healthy, wealthy and wise,” at least married and beautiful. That was not my fate in life. Like many young people, I blamed parents, siblings, brown hair and bad choices. A friend confronted me with this verse. Why was I angry? If I did right, God would see and so I did not need to worry. Cain had a choice also. He could make an attitude correction. He chose rather to murder his brother, Abel. Bad choice. That same mistake is being made today and we all grieve when we hear about it. God saw. Let me say that again. God saw and confronted Cain. Cain responded, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Cain paid the consequences for his actions.
We hear the news today of the wars and mass shootings that horrify us. Maybe we do not murder but hate and anger are common to all. It seems like the difference between Cain and Abel was the ability to recognize and honor the relationships of life, to see the invisible God working in their lives. Abel gave a blood sacrifice to restore relationship with God. Cain spilt blood because he did not honor his relationship with his brother.
Let us spend a few quiet moments and ask the Holy Spirit to shine his flashlight of truth in our heart and bring to our awareness any relationships that we need to make right with God or others. Lord, help us to refuse the tantrum and sulking and the urge to seek revenge when jealousy attacks and when we feel outshone by someone else. Help us to forgive and seek you!
On the Way to Wonder 