Naptime..... oh, the joys of that brief period of time when one or more of your precious children is tucked safely in their room sleeping and you are able to rest or catch up on all that still needs to be done. I love my children- and I love the moments that I spend with them....but, I dearly love naptime too!
Recently, naptime had become a battle for our toddler. My normal 'tactics' of calmly getting him to bed to rest were not as effective and I began some new things that have been working such as setting a timer and letting him know that when it went off, he would be going for a nap. Initially, it worked so well as he would joyfully go and turn off the timer and head to bed. Recently, however, when the timer would sound, he would loudly exclaim, "I can't hear it!" In his toddler thinking, if he could not hear the timer, then he did not have to go to bed. Well, that strategy has not worked for him!
The thing is that the Father gently pricked my heart and said, "My child you sometimes do the same thing. You know my leading, my instruction and my prompting, but you act as though you have not heard my will." The truth hurts....
Our Father is so gracious to often make His will so clear in the scriptures, through the Holy Spirit, and through the confirmation of other believers and yet, so often I do not act on it. Why?
Fear. So often I have fear of what others will think of me. I am a people pleaser through and through which makes stepping out on a limb trusting God's leading hard. I want others to like me and value me, but my allegiance should be to the Father first. He is my Savior- the Lover of my Soul- and Redeemer. Why do I fear man?
Another fear I struggle with is that of the unknown. So often, God's leading is down paths filled with questions and unknowns because that is where our faith grows best. He wants us to follow when we do not know what is ahead because that reveals the level of trust we have in Him. Yet, this is so hard because it goes against every fiber of human state. Human reason says, "Look before you leap," and "Work everything out before you act." God doesn't work in that way because He already knows all and has power over all. He also works out everything for our good; so, when He leads us a certain direction, it is safe to take that step of faith.
What about the fear of being in want or need? How about the fear of missing out on all the earthly things- material possessions and experiences? I would be lying to you if I said that we were never tempted to do things differently- be a two income family with a bigger house and more "things" to fill it. HOWEVER, I would rather strive for contentment in the will and blessing of Christ than to thirst continually after the things that will pass away. Nothing of this earth is eternal- except what is done in and through Christ and our Father. I want my efforts to have eternal value!
So, today, I want to unplug my ears and truly hear and heed the directive calling of my Father. How about you?
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