A New Experience
A friend recently told me about a splash park not too far from us. So Thursday morning, I told my kids to get dressed in swim clothes for the park. A few minutes later, my five-year-old came downstairs dressed in regular clothes.
“Maggie, why aren’t you wearing your swimsuit?” I asked.
“I’m not going to get wet,” she said.
“Maggie, I really want you to put your swimsuit on under your clothes. That way, if you decide to get wet, you are good to go. If not, you can still play at the park,” I told her.
Convincing Maggie
She argued with me for a little bit, then finally went and changed. When we got to the park, she was convinced she didn’t want to get wet. I sent my other kids to go play and set about convincing her. Being super shy, Maggie hates new experiences. It’s really hard for her to do things when there are new people around. In this case, there were lots of little kids playing in the water. I knew that if I could just convince her to try it, she would have a blast.
After a while, I just about gave up in frustration. Finally, I convinced her to go try it one time. She went and tried it, and that was all it took. She played in the water for the next hour. When it was time to leave, she thanked me and said she had so much fun and wanted to know when we could come back!
After we all piled in the van to leave, I turned around to talk to Maggie. “I knew you would have a fun time; you just needed to trust me,” I said with a smile.
God as Our Parent
I wonder how often God has a similar perspective in our lives. For instance, as soon as something unplanned or difficult comes into our lives, we assume God has forgotten us or is upset with us. When in reality, God knows exactly what He is doing. Likewise, He is working His plan in our lives. He is weaving together our experiences and the people around us to mold us exactly into who He wants us to be.
I Peter 4:19 says, “Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.”
I love how the Message paraphrases it.
“So if you find life difficult because you’re doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he’s doing, and he’ll keep on doing it.” (The Message)
God has not forgotten you. He is shaping you into who He wants you to be. Trust God and trust His process. It may be that He is preparing you for a change. Maybe it’s a new career, a move, a spouse, or something else entirely. You can read my 3 Ways to Stay Flexible and Ready for Change.
Book Suggestion
One of the best books I have read is The Hardest Peace: Expecting Grace in the Midst of Life’s Hard by Kara Tippets. I will warn you, it’s not easy to read. I read it with tears streaming down my face, but it’s really good. H
Getting Through Today
God knows exactly where you are today and what you are going through. He hasn’t forgotten you, and He’s not ignoring you. Choose to trust Him to get you through today.