I am amazed at how much my 18-month-old daughter teaches me. Almost everyday I see something new about myself in her actions. Katelyn was over at her grandparents' house when the toy she was playing with "broke". She picked up the two pieces and carried them to the living room saying, "Uh-oh." She laid them in her Popoo's lap, put both her hands behind her back, looked up at her Popoo, and patiently waited and watched with those big trusting eyes as her Popoo snapped the top back on. In her face you could see that she knew her Popoo could fix it and would fix it. As he handed it back to her, her eyes twinkled, she smiled, and she went back to playing.
As I thought of how Katelyn trusted her Popoo so completely to fix her broken toy, I wondered why I did not trust God to fix my broken things. Instead of putting my hands behind my back and patiently waiting, I often find myself getting in the way.
Just a few days later, the batteries in Katelyn's Big Bird were dying. She took Big Bird to Daddy so he could fix it. There was just a little more work involved in fixing Big Bird. First, Daddy had to get to the batteries. The battery compartment was covered by Velcro. When Katelyn heard the Velcro strips tear apart, she assumed Big Bird was fixed and tried to take it from Daddy. But reluctantly, she gave it back. Then Daddy had to unscrew the battery compartment to replace the batteries. Katelyn decided this was taking way too long. She kept reaching for Big Bird, which was hindering Daddy's work. Finally, after what seemed an eternity to Katelyn, Daddy handed Big Bird back to her and she went back to her play. Katelyn was not very patient that day.
This is how I find myself most of the time. When I say that I am trusting God about a particular situation, and yet I keep worrying and trying to fix it on my own, I have not trusted God with it yet. Every time I pick it back up, I hinder God's work. Why would I do that? Maybe it is because God is not working fast enough to suit me, or I am not seeing the results I want to see.
I pray that when I bring my troubles to God, I can lay them in His lap, put my hands behind my back, and watch patiently as He works miracles.
- Diana Fuqua