I like to tell my daughter about things we’ll be doing. Except sometimes I don’t give her full details. I tell her, which builds eager anticipation, ‘it’s a surprise’. She loves surprises, because she knows I only promise her good things.
This can work two ways for me. She’ll either torture me with trying to get more details, and will ask 20 more questions, even though she knows I ultimately will not give away the surprise. She’ll also invariably always ask, is it time yet? But when I tell her about the upcoming ‘surprise’, I give her a timeline. She’s still learning the concept of time, so I’ll have to explain to her that it’s either after her big sleep or after her mid afternoon nap. I just know that I better be ready for whichever time period I tell her.
As I’m writing this now, she’s asking about our upcoming surprise, mind you, it’s 6:25 on a Sunday morning. She doesn’t like waiting. Actually, neither do I.
I feel like God tells us that He has wonderful ‘surprises’ in store for us. Except He doesn’t provide the same time line I do. He doesn’t say, at 5:00 on October 16th, this will happen. What He says is, ‘Kaysi, I’ll do such and such’. And me being like my 4 year old, says, ‘yes God, but can we do this on my schedule?’ I’m learning that’s not how it works.
Yesterday in church, a presentation was done on the Israelites moving from Egypt to the promised land. A trip that could have taken 11 days ultimately took 40 years. In that time, God used it to build the characters and habits of those who would enter the promised land. There was lots of grumbling along the way, but God doesn’t go by the grumbling, He goes by when He knows we are ready.
Imagine, if I think I know how to give good gifts to my daughter? What more precious gifts God has in store for you. What are you trusting Him for? What are you waiting on Him for, for him to reveal His surprises? I’m also learning that He doesn’t leave you without clues, just like I share with my daughter, you only need to look and listen for what they are.
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for our time with you. Help us to use it wisely as you build us up and refine our characters. Help us to see this time for what it is, a chance to learn of the depth of your love for us.
