Understanding my son a little better...
Sunday, our Stage 2 group at church began a study discussing the will of God. We looked at the book of Job, and I had an "A ha!" moment that makes me wonder at God's sense of humor.
You see, I now understand why Aiden, and many other three-year-olds, are so impossible. Let me explain, for those of you who haven't experienced this, or perhaps have forgotten the magic of three-year-olds. Three-year-olds ask questions--ALL THE TIME! A day with Aiden is a constant barrage of "Why" "Why are you doing that?" "How does that work?" and "Why can't I...?" He is constantly questioning me, second-guessing me, and testing me and any limits I provide him. It seems his sole purpose in life is see how much he can get by with, to test my authority, and to question my knowledge.
I try to answer Aiden's questions as fully as I can, but there comes a point when I know that the answer is beyond his comprehension. I know that the reasons are too complex or just too much for him to handle, I can't tell him what he wants to know, so I end up having to settle for answers of authority and not information: "Because I said so" or "Because God made it that way."
Now I see that my struggle with Aiden is just a small sample of the struggle I have with God every day. It would appear the Lord is giving me a taste of my own medicine and just a tiny glimpse into His own dilemma, only on a much smaller scale. He loves me, wants to be able to provide me with the answers I seek, but He knows I can't handle it, I can't possibly understand or comprehend those answers, so He has to give me a big ol' "cause I said so" and remind me to trust in His wisdom and power.
So next time I'm in the midst of a grilling by Aiden, when I'm tired of the questions and ready to pull my hair out, I'll remind myself to show Aiden the same grace and patience the Lord has shown with me. I've certainly never learned to stop questioning and wondering why, so how I can possibly expect Aiden to?
If you've ever studied the book of Job, then you know that Job is a man who questions God "WHY?!" He's lost everything, his life is in shambles, everything he held dear has been taken from him, and he wants to know "WHY?!" Most of us fall into this at some point in our lives--we may not have lost all that Job did, but our reaction is always the same, to ask "WHY?! Why, God? Why me? Why this?"
In the book of Job, God spends several chapters responding to Job and proving a point--that He laid the foundations of this world, He created everything in it, He is all-powerful and wise. He can't give us the answers--we don't have the ability to comprehend them, to understand how we fit into the entire fabric of the universe that He's created. God doesn't answer Job's "why's" because Job can't possibly understand the answer. So instead, God gives Job Himself, His own authority. He assures Job that He is in charge, that He knows what He's doing, and He has a plan.
You see, I now understand why Aiden, and many other three-year-olds, are so impossible. Let me explain, for those of you who haven't experienced this, or perhaps have forgotten the magic of three-year-olds. Three-year-olds ask questions--ALL THE TIME! A day with Aiden is a constant barrage of "Why" "Why are you doing that?" "How does that work?" and "Why can't I...?" He is constantly questioning me, second-guessing me, and testing me and any limits I provide him. It seems his sole purpose in life is see how much he can get by with, to test my authority, and to question my knowledge.
I try to answer Aiden's questions as fully as I can, but there comes a point when I know that the answer is beyond his comprehension. I know that the reasons are too complex or just too much for him to handle, I can't tell him what he wants to know, so I end up having to settle for answers of authority and not information: "Because I said so" or "Because God made it that way."
Now I see that my struggle with Aiden is just a small sample of the struggle I have with God every day. It would appear the Lord is giving me a taste of my own medicine and just a tiny glimpse into His own dilemma, only on a much smaller scale. He loves me, wants to be able to provide me with the answers I seek, but He knows I can't handle it, I can't possibly understand or comprehend those answers, so He has to give me a big ol' "cause I said so" and remind me to trust in His wisdom and power.
So next time I'm in the midst of a grilling by Aiden, when I'm tired of the questions and ready to pull my hair out, I'll remind myself to show Aiden the same grace and patience the Lord has shown with me. I've certainly never learned to stop questioning and wondering why, so how I can possibly expect Aiden to?
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