“You must not bow down to [idols] or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods...”
Have you ever experienced the jealousy of God? I really saw it play out one night when I was at a Bible study. My mind hadn't been where it was supposed to be that night. It wasn't in a "bad" place, but it was bouncing back and forth between what we were studying and...a particular young woman who was at study that night. Yeah, I know... But the host had just gotten a new puppy too, so there were other distractions!
A Coincidental Reminder?
It was about time to leave, so we were all standing around the living room and talking. As I went to leave, I stood inside, next to the open door, and called out to a couple of the guys across the room to say goodbye. And maybe to get another glance at the young woman I had my eye on...
At that moment, the new puppy bolted for the door, so I slammed it shut to block the dog's exit. Immediately (and quite suddenly), someone forcefully opened the door again—right into my skull.
Pain burst through my body. I can't even describe to you how it happened, but apparently the only part of me that was in the way of the door was the back of my head. With all their weight behind it, the person slammed the door into my head. BANG!
After Some Reflection
Yeah, it was pretty funny in hindsight, but it was pretty painful too. As I walked to my truck, holding the back of my throbbing head, I thought, "That made me look pretty bad in front of everyone." And you know who I was thinking of particularly.
Driving home, for some reason, Exodus 20:5 kept running through my head: "...For I the Lord your God am a jealous God." Was God trying to tell me something here?
Once I understood why I kept thinking about God's jealousy, I was (maybe weirdly) overjoyed! Sometimes conviction from the Holy Spirit is subtle. Sometimes, it hits you over the head. Literally, in my case.
I realized I'd been distracted, and God wanted to get my attention so bad that He chose to hit me in the back of the head with a door to do it. He was rightfully jealous for my attention that night. My mind wasn't fully focused on what we were learning from God's Word. Rather, I was thinking about that young woman across the room—and the puppy, of course.
Refocusing My Mind
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”
My own sense of self-worth and goodness is so intertwined with loving God with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind (Mark 12:30). And my Heavenly Father was willing to go this far to put me back on track. I'm so thankful He did. What a memorable reminder!
Although I don't think God will hit me with a door every time I'm distracted or misplacing my focus, I believe He did it once so that I'll remember in the future. He didn't do it so that I would be fearful of Him or afraid of His disappointment. Instead, I believe He wanted me to think fondly of Him and the fact that He cares that much about me—one of His beloved children (1 John 4:9-10; Galatians 2:20).