Father Knows Best
By Mike Rule

During the recent holiday festivities my two-year-old nephew received a toy refrigerator for Christmas. Upon opening the box and seeing the wondrous gift he had received, the first words out of his mouth were, "Hot dog!" He immediately headed into the next room with wide-eyed enthusiasm and determination to find the toy hot dog he had used when playing with Grandma’s toy refrigerator; he could now use it with his own. He did not know his very next gift was a huge package of toy food, but his dad knew what was in the package and went to retrieve him. A few moments passed before a loud squall was heard as my nephew strongly protested to having his plans thwarted. There was no convincing him to set aside his agenda and take a different course. Soon his dad had to physically carry him back into the room while the little guy fussed to have his own way. It was difficult to get through to him that the thing he wanted (and so much more) was waiting for him if only he would listen and trust. After a little coercion and a little help, the next package was opened to reveal a virtual smorgasbord of toy food. The fussing immediately stopped, and the toy hot dog he clung to so tenaciously was flung aside as he ripped into his new treasure. All of a sudden his initial desire did not matter because his father had brought him to something beyond his wildest dreams.

How like us. We see part of God’s plan for us and immediately run to accomplish what we think is best in the situation. God patiently pursues us, telling us to come and see what else He has for us; but we think we know what is best and tenaciously cling to our plan. As God gently carries us back to where He wants us, we kick and scream to have our own way until we get a glimpse of His gift. Only then do we throw away what we so tenaciously clung to so that we can dig into what God has provided.

God asks us to come to Him like little children, and He understands us when we fuss. But greater than that, He is teaching us to trust Him with the wide-eyed wonder of a child so that no matter what we think, or see, or feel, we will know by experience that He knows what He is doing.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and He will direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes…" Proverbs 3:5-7a