(I was sure that I had written it in the past, but now I only started and let CHATGPT finish it off)

Patience, Peace, Love, Kindness, Gratefulness—but not just these.

There are also aspects of Revenge, Impatience, War, Hatred, Cruelty, and Entitlement.

“אֵל נְקָמוֹת ה’ אֵל נְקָמוֹת הוֹפִיעַ”

“O LORD, the God who avenges! O God who avenges, reveal Your splendor.”

— תהילים צ”ד א’ (Psalms 94:1)

Are we truly willing to let God fulfill His role?

Do we possess the patience we so often ask of Him when we know we are in the wrong?

We may imagine we have patience, but in truth, none of us truly “has” it. Patience is an attribute and a gift from God. We can only pray to connect with God’s patience.

This applies to all of God’s attributes. We “have” nothing of our own. We think we possess “love,” “kindness,” or “gratefulness,” but are these truly ours? Only by connecting to God’s love, kindness, and gratefulness can we receive even a portion of His eternal and limitless goodness.

But what of God’s harsher attributes—Justice, Wrath, Jealousy, and Vengeance?

“אֵל קַנָּא וְנֹקֵם ה’ נֹקֵם ה’ וּבַעַל חֵמָה נֹקֵם ה’ לְצָרָיו וְנוֹטֵר הוּא לְאֹיְבָיו”

“The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries and reserves wrath for His enemies.”

— נחום א’ ב’ (Nahum 1:2)

We are quick to embrace God’s mercy, yet slow to accept His justice. We speak of His love but shy away from His judgment. Yet, His justice is as perfect as His mercy, and His wrath is as holy as His love.

Do we dare to trust Him not only in His kindness but also in His correction? His discipline is not cruelty—it is refinement. His vengeance is not like human revenge—it is perfect justice, free from spite.

“כִּי אֶת אֲשֶׁר יֶאֱהַב ה’ יוֹכִיחַ וּכְאָב אֶת בֵּן יִרְצֶה”

“For whom the LORD loves, He reproves, as a father disciplines the son in whom he delights.”

— משלי ג’ י”ב (Proverbs 3:12)

Can we submit to the God who both plants and uproots, who both builds and tears down? Can we trust that His hand of judgment is guided by the same love that offers us grace?

“הִנֵּה לְשָׂלוֹם מָר לִי מַר וְאַתָּה חָשַׁקְתָּ נַפְשִׁי מִשַּׁחַת בְּלִי כִּי הִשְׁלַכְתָּ אַחֲרֵי גֵוְךָ כָּל חֲטָאָי”

“Indeed, for my own well-being I had great bitterness; but You lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of destruction, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.”

— ישעיהו ל”ח י”ז (Isaiah 38:17)

We cannot claim His love and reject His justice. To truly know God is to seek connection with all of Him—both His gentleness and His severity. Only then can we reflect His truth, standing in awe of His mercy and trembling at His holiness.

“סַס אָשִׂישׂ בַּה’ תָּגֵל נַפְשִׁי בֵּאלֹהַי כִּי הִלְבִּישַׁנִי בִּגְדֵי יֶשַׁע מְעִיל צְדָקָה יְעָטָנִי”

“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me in a robe of righteousness.”

— ישעיהו ס”א י’ (Isaiah 61:10)

Let us not ask for His blessings without also surrendering to His will. For every act of mercy, there is a moment of justice. Every act of healing comes after the cutting away of what harms. This, too, is love.

May we pray not only for God’s kindness but also for the strength to accept His correction. To trust in His vengeance, His discipline, and His refining fire—for all of it is part of His perfect, eternal nature.