The Wrath of the Lamb

An incident with one of my best friends helped me understand the role of love in godly fear. She was my college roommate and possessed a rare sweetness. One day I broke a rule of trust with her. Because I was worried that her boyfriend was manipulating her, I read their private correspondence, something we had promised each other we would never do. In my immaturity I had thought that this might help me to protect her. 

When she discovered this, her disappointment and sense of betrayal were so keen that I experienced the deepest anguish I had known to that point in my young life. It was my first experience of seeing how hurting someone I loved could also hurt me. I would have preferred her anger rather than her anguish.

She forgave me, but I grieved the pain I caused her and it gave me a healthy