When God and I Have a Fight

I was flying south from my small hometown in western NY.

Nicely buckled in, I was minding my own business when the nudge came.

I’ve experienced this before.

I don’t like it.

I know it’s not going to go well.

That’s when the nudge converts to conviction. A familiar whisper. A stirring in my soul.

“Laura, you have to say something. You must warn them,” He softly prompts. 

“No, God. I’m not doing it.” I adamantly reply.

“You must,” He affirms.

“I’m not doing it. They will get mad,” the uneasiness is setting in.

As a type A, first born, people pleasing, rule following baby boomer, I normally don’t tell God no. But I had to this time.

I needed to explain myself more clearly. Obviously, He wasn’t understanding how badly this whole nudge response could turn o

“Lord, they will accuse me of judging them. We have been through this before. Don’t you remember? Plus, other family members will be angry with me,” I convincingly clarified. “It will create a big family problem. And we want peace—don’t we?”

Silence.

Uh-oh. That’s not good.

When He goes quiet during these battles, it’s never a good sign. Therefore, I had to get serious. No more wishy washy dancing around. It was time for me to stand on my free-will ground and make a declaration.“I’m not doing it. Ask someone else.”

Whew! There now. I did it.

Silence. I start to cry--on the PLANE.

“God, please. Don’t be mad at me. Don’t go silent. I REALLY don’t want to do it.”

“Laura, If you don’t—who will? Maybe no one has ever told them this before. I know you love them. I know you understand how much danger they are in by allowing this into their lives. If they continue to make this choice bad things could happen.”

“Yes, I love them. Yes, I know it’s very dangerous. That’s not the problem.”

“Then you have to tell them,” He gently whispers.

“I’m sorry God, I just can’t do it.”

Silence.

I HATE this. Seriously. HATE IT!!

More soft weeping into my tissue. I don’t want the nearby passengers to think I’m having a mental breakdown. And then call the flight attendant or worse—airport security.

I don’t look good in orange.

Breathe. Just breathe.

And then suddenly, a passage of scripture pops into my mind. It's one I use when teaching a bible study. It's a powerful scene from the Old Testament where a godly Prophet named Eli, addresses his two sons. They are committing very wicked, vile, profound sins. To make it worse, they are doing it in front of everyone at the Temple (modern word-- church).

God describes these two bad boys in this way,

“Eli’s sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord” 1 Samuel 2:12

^“This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord’s sight, for they were treating the Lord’s offering with contempt.” v7

Eli's friends try to help him. They warn him saying he MUST do something to stop them. It is going to bring God's wrath on ALL of them. What these two sons are doing is so repulsive and atrocious it's punishable by death.

Eli goes to his sons and says.

So, he said to them, “Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord’s people is not good… His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke. 1 Samuel 2:23-25

They get a little tongue lashing and a slap on the wrist from daddy. He's the one with the power to stop them. But he sets no boundaries, nor does he implement a much needed consequence.

He does nothing. They continue.

And then God speaks.

It's not a pretty scene.

He is very upset with Eli because the man of God didn’t do what was wise, holy and right. He didn’t reprimand his sons. He didn’t allow them to suffer a repercussion for their actions. He didn’t do what God told him to do because he didn’t want to offend his sons. And when we disobey God, those around us suffer.

Then God drops the bomb. The atomic bomb. On Eli--and on me.

In that moment on that plane, God broke me. His scalpel of truth pierced my heart wide open. The unveiling was palpable.

God says to Eli:

Why do you honor your sons more than me? 1 Samuel 2:29:b

"Oh, God. Forgive me. I AM Eli".

And He gently pressed, “Laura, why do you honor your family more than me? Why are you afraid of hurting them, but not me? Why are you willing to walk away from something I’m telling you to do just because you fear their rejection?”

Humbled to my core, I replied. “I’ll do it. I don't care what it costs me. I understand.”

And then He tenderly reminded me, “I love your family more than you do, Laura. I really do. I created them, remember?”

As the plane descended He had already downloaded the wisdom I needed to move forward. I still didn't WANT to do it. But I was willing.

And I did. I shared the truth with the ones I love.

Were they mad at me. Yes.

Did it hurt? Yes.

Would I do it again? Yes. Because I know how much God loves those that I love. And when HE prompts (key factor) I can't let FEAR stop me.

And now the decision is in their hands.

I did the uncomfortable thing God told me to do. I prayed, sought His words, did it as graciously as I know how. I didn’t storm into their lives loudly pontificating Bible verses to prove I'm right--you're wrong.

I calmly shared bible verses that address the issue.

And then I left it with them to do as they choose.

I am NOT the Holy Spirit. He is more than capable of teaching my loved ones the truth.

We have not discussed it since. And I'm fine with that. They know I love them.

To God be the glory.

Copyright © 2026 Laura Petherbridge. All rights reserved

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Laura Petherbridge is a author, speaker and life coach who serves couples and single adults. She is the author of Stepfamilies of the Bible: Timeless Wisdom for Blended Families, 101 Tips for The Smart Stepmom—Expert Advice from One Stepmom to Another, and When “I Do” Becomes “I Don’t”—Practical Steps for Healing During Separation and Divorce. She is featured on FamilyLife, MomLife Today, Lifeway, Focus on the Family, Homeward. She is a featured expert on the original DivorceCare DVD series. Her book The Smart Stepmom, has sold more than 45,000 copies is co-authored with Ron Deal. Her website is www.TheSmartStepmom.com