Originally published Thursday, 11 July 2013.
For weeks my daughter pled her case to host a “non-birthday” sleepover with one of her “besties.” She went from asking weekly, to daily and on a few occasions twice in one day! She was relentless and I was exhausted! My typical response was “OK, be patient. I’ll talk to her mom.” However, my bright 8 year old could not wrap her mind around my vague answer and was determined to force me into a direct response, preferably in her favor.
I survived by reminding myself that she is 8 years old and therefore she had no reference for schedule coordination, patience levels or the overall concept of “good timing.” These concepts are simply bigger than her ability to grasp them.
Finally I managed to set a date and decided to surprise her. On the Friday before the big day, while she was away at school, I wrote “Sleepover with Breanna” on her calendar. I was so excited for her to walk in and see those words written in hot pink. I could hardly wait to claim my rightful title as “Best Mom Ever!”
Without saying a word, I picked her up from school and began our drive home. As normal one of her first points of conversation was, “When can I have a sleepover?” I could hear the desperation in her voice and I was tempted to spill the beans. However I decided to stick with my original idea and responded to her request with, “Be patient, I’ll talk to her mom.”
Friends, this did not end pretty.
Within moments, my precious little girl had worked herself up so badly that she almost ruined the great news she had waiting for her, just 10 minutes away. There were tears shed, lips poked, and thoughts that I am sure she was wise enough to keep inside! She’d even gotten her sisters to join in on the protest! In her mind I had become the big, mean mommy who never wanted her to have fun.
This is not true.
When we arrived home I stood quietly in front of her calendar. She came in behind me and began to empty her bag when her eyes caught the hot pink wording. Still flustered from her tears, she tried to crack a smile but the reality was she had already let her lack of understanding dictate “her truth” and she was now behaving in response to it.
I am not a big bad mommy. I am her loving mommy, who is constantly thinking of and working towards what is best for her.
How often do we pray for something specific, making our request known weekly, even daily without getting a response?
Do you trust God while you wait? Or do you behave in response to an untruth?
Know that while you are waiting, He is not ignoring you, or brushing you off. He is simply dealing with concepts much bigger than your ability to grasp. You are His child.
Trust that in the silence, God, your loving father, is constantly working out the details on your behalf.
I want to encourage you to not get so frustrated that your eyes are blurry from the tears and your emotions have you so worked up that once God is ready to reveal your answer, your emotional state will hinder your ability to truly experience and celebrate what God has already planned out for you!
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