wait

We had just returned from swimming lessons and all 3 boys were impatiently begging me to do something with them. Luke (8) wanted help making something to eat, Charlie (4) wanted me to ride scooters, and Jack (3) wanted me to get a tennis racket down for him. Of course I was preoccupied with unpacking the wet towels out of the car and methodically sorting through the mail.

To be honest, I continued about my tasks and fended off the repeated requests as much as possible, until I heard a sudden crash in the garage. That's never a good sign.

I sprinted to the garage where my eyes fixated on 3 year old Jack who was standing by a few large storage boxes...



which had tumbled down and shattered glass and liquid from our festive Christmas globes. Did I mention the glitter? I have a fear of glitter. It gets everywhere. It is as invasive as termites and this was no exception.



Apparently he was unable to wait. By ignoring my request and forging ahead on his own, he was not only left without the desired outcome: the tennis racket, but he was also stuck with a load of brokenness.

I took a broom and asked him to leave the area so he wouldn't get hurt. I proceeded to clean up the glass and soak up the liquid. I did this because I love Jack and I know that as a 3 year old, he could not do so on his own. Certainly he would step on the glass and hurt himself in the process.

It reminds me of how we are with God at certain points of our lives. We keep saying, "God", "God", "God" just like how my boys persistently repeated my name.

"God, I want this."

"Wait," he says

"God, I want it now!"

"Wait," he says.

When we figure we know better and don't want to wait any longer, we do it on our own. Suddenly everything comes tumbling down and we are left with nothing but broken pieces.

And just like a loving mama (loving and somewhat frustrated-keeping it real) God doesn't give us the broom and say, "Good luck sweeping up the glass, Kid." Instead, he kneels down and cleans up the mess in order to keep us protected.

What are you trying to do on your own today? Are you secretly sneaking into the garage to climb on your own like Jack? I know there are many areas in my life that I try to do it on my own simply because God says, "Wait."

It is my desire to learn to wait and save myself from the pain of broken pieces.