And…They’re Off!

Megan Breedlove June 21, 2010 0 Comments

There’s something about getting to go somewhere that causes kids to turn into sprinters rivaling Olympic champion Usain Bolt. At least, that’s the way it is at our house. When we’re about to go somewhere the kids really want to go, they go potty, put their shoes on, then stand in a clump at the door, jockeying for position. I’ve finally gotten them to stop using their hands to push siblings out of the way, so now they just stand there, four kids squashed together like sardines into two feet squared of linoleum, anxiously awaiting the opening of the door.

“All right, you can go,” I call out, and…they’re off! The closest one pulls the door open, at the same time doing his or her best to block the others from squeezing past and being the first one out to the porch. But when the screen door swings open, then the tide is free. They all rush outside, trying to be first to the steps. They don’t jostle each other on the steps, probably because they remember how mad Mommy gets when they do, saying something about “dangerous”. Then they hit the ground and run to the van.

Actually, it’s not always this bad. For the most part, they’ve now been taught to move calmly and respectfully instead of making it their goal to outrun their siblings. But even though they might not push and shove, there are still times when they burst out the front door inappropriately. Let me explain.

The kids know that there is a very important rule at our house: no going outside without permission. Not even as far as the porch. Ever. I made that rule for safety, and I strictly enforce it. Usually, the kids obey. But recently, I was getting ready to take them somewhere, and I arrived in the living room to find the door standing wide open and only two children still in the house. “Where are Kenny and Jessica?” I asked Ellie.

“They went outside,” she said.

I strode to the screen door and opened it. “Kenny, are you out here?” I called.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

“You know the rule about not going outside without permission,” I said firmly.

“Yes, ma’am. But I thought we were leaving.”

I believed him. Kenny probably thought we were so close to leaving that I wouldn’t mind if he went outside. But he was wrong.

Likewise, we adults often get the idea that we can go whenever we’re ready. We know God’s taking us somewhere, so we just get going without even consulting Him to see if it’s time yet. Just as Kenny had confidence in his ability to be outside without supervision, so we have the self-assurance that we can cope with whatever comes up. But sometimes, we’re going to be wrong.

Sometimes, our rushing ahead means we’ll encounter difficulties that can come close to destroying us. Sometimes, the difficulties are ones we can handle, but which we would never have had to deal with at all if we had done things in God’s timing.

What it comes down to is this: just as I knew better than Kenny when it was time to go, so God knows far better than we do when it’s time to move, and when we should stay put. We can’t possibly know as much as He knows. We’re fools if we expose ourselves to potential danger because we didn’t check with Him first.

Let’s let God tell us when it’s time to open the door. I know it can be frustrating to wait when we’re ready to take action. I get that way too, sometimes. I like to make things happen. I don’t like to wait. But I guarantee that following God’s timing is always the best way to do things. It may sometimes be slower, but it’s always better. And ultimately, that’s what we really want, isn’t it?

Job 12:13—To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.

Believe You Me

Megan Breedlove May 24, 2010 0 Comments

I’m really enjoying this phase of life where my children think I know everything.

Okay, maybe not everything. They know there are certain subjects on which Daddy is the expert, like electricity and computers. But for the rest of life, Mommy has trustworthy answers to everything.

When Ellie was three, she had a friend I’ll call Jane. Jane often told Ellie things that couldn’t possibly be true. One day, when they were playing together, Ellie came to me upset. “Mommy, Jane says she has more Hello Kitty stuff than me,” Ellie said.

But it wasn’t true.

“Ellie,” I said, “Jane says she has more stuff because she wishes it were true. She thinks if she says she has more things than you, you’ll be impressed with her.”

“Oh,” Ellie said, satisfied.

That seemed to settle the matter. Ellie returned to play with Jane, and they played happily for the rest of their time together.

I know there will be times, as Ellie gets older, when she questions my assessments of certain people and situations. But that day, she trusted me completely, believing that any answer Mommy would give her would be right.

Maybe that’s part of what Jesus meant when He talked about entering the kingdom as a little child. He knows that as adults, we are all too prone to question God’s ability to accurately assess a situation and to substitute our own judgments for His. Maybe Jesus wanted us to hang onto that childlike faith in God’s wisdom all our lives.

There have been times in my life when I wondered what God was up to, or when I didn’t see how what He was doing could be the best thing. Sometimes, I’ve substituted my judgment for His. Perhaps you have, too.

But what God wants us to learn is not to question Him as we get older. He wants us to continue to trust Him completely and without question, just as a little child trusts her mother.

Though we’re adults now, God’s knowledge and understanding surpass ours to an infinite degree, and always will. So let’s trust Him in any and every situation, not ourselves. Let’s take comfort in the fact that Someone so all-wise and all-knowing watches over us. And let’s thank Him for the fact that He knows everything and takes care of it all so that we don’t have to.

Job 38:18—“Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.”

Jeremiah 29:11—“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.”

Batteries Not Included

Megan Breedlove June 2, 2008 0 Comments

Have you ever stood in the shower, feeling the water beating down on you and listening to a purple caterpillar, lying on its side just outside your shower curtain, bleating the same sad, slowing, and increasingly tuneless few electronic notes over and over?

I have. Not that long ago, in fact.

You see, I am a mother of small children, which means that I don’t get to take showers alone. So there I was, pursuing the ambitious goal of getting clean, when suddenly, the door opened. In came my then three-year-old daughter Ellie, pursuing her goal of being with Mommy anywhere and everywhere. She brought with her her Alphabet Pal, a purple caterpillar with twenty-six legs, one for each letter of the alphabet. This caterpillar is supposed to do various things, depending on which button you push, such as teach phonics or play songs. The only problem was that today, “Ah-Pal” was not successfully doing any of those things.

“Mommy, it’s not working,” Ellie said. To demonstrate, she tried to make it play the song she wanted by pushing one of the buttons. We listened together as the poor caterpillar struggled through its notes, finally ending up several steps below the correct pitch.

“It needs batteries,” I said, “and then it’ll be just fine.”

“Can you get me some batteries?” she asked. (I guess interrupting my shower to get her some batteries seemed like the logical thing for her to ask me to do.)

“Go ask Daddy,” I said.

She dropped the caterpillar on the floor and ran off to go find Daddy, which would have been fine, except that one of the caterpillar’s legs got pressed when it hit the floor, and it stayed that way. Hence, the same repeated, no-longer-musical, “guess-I’ll-have-to-get-out-of-the-shower-after-all-to-turn-it-off” notes.

Fortunately, Ah-Pal had landed close to the tub, and I was able simply to reach an arm out and turn it off. I smiled about the incident, shaking my head and thinking, “Yep, I’m a mother.”

And then, I thought of something else, and suddenly, this was no longer just about caterpillars, batteries, or even a shower.

I imagined Ellie realizing her toy wasn’t working and coming straightaway to find me, believing that I held the knowledge and abilities to make it right. Then, when I told her what needed to be done, she immediately acted upon my proposed solution, trusting that if she did what I said, it would all work out.

Dear Mommy Friend, do we trust God like that? As earthly mothers, we are finite, and our abilities to make things right are limited. But we have an omniscient, omnipotent, and perfectly loving Heavenly Father. When things go wrong, do we approach Him with perfect trust, believing that He will and can help? When He gives us direction, do we then act upon it, knowing that our all-wise, all-powerful God has just given us the key to making everything right?

In this case, everything was made right with batteries and a screwdriver. Sometimes, though, circumstances in life can’t be fixed, and the only way to make things right is not to change what happened, but to cling to God with the strength of a toddler who would rather die than be separated from his mother.

Dear friend, I don’t know what it will take to “fix” the situations in your life–big or small, now or in the future. But I do know that when the batteries are dying and life struggles to produce even a discordant tune, you should run to your Heavenly Father, as fast as you can go. When you get there, tell Him what’s wrong. Then trust Him to know what must be done. If His solution requires action from you, do it. Immediately. And if the solution is nothing more-and nothing less-than clinging to Him, do it. Immediately. He will never let you down.

Proverbs 3:5-6-Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.