"Ouchy!"
If you have ever tried to get a three year old dressed and ready mid-meltdown you will know that there is no such thing as reasoning with them. No amount of bribes, hugs or prayers will stop them from being a limp noodle that kicks hard and screams harder. That was kind of how my morning went. As mom walked out of the door Anna had a full blown fit. She screamed for "mommy" for a good amount of time before I decided to start putting her socks on. Oh boy, was that it. This sent her into a frenzy of yelling the combination of "mommy" and "Ouchy" while attempting to yank her sock off. A little background: before this I offered to put lotion on her feet so her socks wouldn't hurt, however she wasn't having it nor would she let me remove the sock and help. After about ten minutes I told her that she needed to use her "big girl words" and tell me what she needed. With another failed attempt, her spinning away from me on the floor and me finally getting to three I had to use my stern voice and physically help her. To this, with tears in her eyes still, she complied. She got up, walked out to the car, and didn't cry after. Magic.
Now, I'm not just giving you a blog about my morning, but a blog that really opened my eyes to how we are. We may not have melt-downs and visible tantrums, but we so often are like a crying three year old. Let me explain.
God, like I did in the beginning, tries to sooth us before the pain even happens. He gives us His word to find comfort in before the storm and yet we sometimes refuse and when the pain comes we don't know how to handle it. So instead we often yell "Ouchy" to God and when He, in His Sovereignty, stretches out His hand to help we turn away and insist on our own way while continuing to scream.
Yet, in the midst of our "melt-down" He remains there. Watching. Waiting. When we are ready, He is there. But if we need it, He will make us get ready. Yes, I said He will make us.
Something that church might not tell you is... God does get stern. Let me repeat that: God does get stern. Like a shepherd to His sheep, He will do what He needs to in order to bring His sheep back and near His side. He wrestled with Jacob and put his hip out of place, He breaks the legs of the sheep that continues to stray, and He made the Israelites wander in the wilderness for fouty years. God is not passive, He is actively pursing us.
God gets tough. But He is also loving.
After Jacob wrestles with God he has reconciliation with his brother Esau. God spared him and beyond that He made a broken relationship whole again. After the Shepherd breaks the legs of His sheep He picks it up and physically carries it. Close to Him and in complete safety. After the Israelites wander in the wilderness for forty years God brings them to the promised land. Oh, what a wonderful God we serve!
God doesn't do things to spite us, but to bring us closer to who He is and how He loves us. He is a just, powerful, awesome, good, and loving God. We simply need to press into that.
So, here's the question of the week:
{What does God need to do for you to be wholeheartedly trusting in Him and His goodness?}
You are Worthy- Bellarive
Romans 8:28
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose."
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