Like A Child

 

                                                      

    My three year old cried in disappointment when I turned into his preschool parking lot, but he didn’t protest when I got him out of the car.  He accepted my hand and walked beside me as tears rolled down his cheek. The other kids and their parents parted the way in sympathy as they heard us approaching. His teacher greeted him with a sincere hug and he searched her eyes for security before taking her hand.  With bottom lip quivering he willingly walked away from me.

 

 Before I was out of the parking lot, I asked God to comfort him.  I thought of him in a classroom with a dozen other kids, being redirected to focus, follow directions, sit still, and “use words”…all things he is unable to do right now. He is on the spectrum and nonverbal today is his 2nd day of special education preschool. I know he needs to be there, but it hurts to leave him anyway, because I love him.

Instantly my heart filled with peace and I realized, God can relate to my situation. He feels like this for me when I am going through trials.  He is confident, just like I am with my child, that trials will strengthen me, and he allows it because He loves me.  

All the way home I think about his sadness but his willingness to go anyway. Why was he so cooperative when he seemed so sad to be there?  

Back at home I noticed a scripture, (we are memorizing as a family) written on a large whiteboard hanging in our dining room.

 “…Be as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord sees fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” (Mosiah 3:19)

To be honest, I couldn’t relate to that part of the scripture until that moment. Kids are sometimes some of those things. My child was all of those things at preschool this morning. He was submissive, meek, humble, and patient as soon as he recognized he was going to school.  He was full of love (and tears) when he kissed and hugged me goodbye but accepted his teachers embrace. Then he was corporative even though he knew he did not want to be there. 

When I returned for pick up, he ran to me with a mixture of relief and excitement (mostly relief) on his face and mumbled what sounded like: “Mum!” while falling into me.  It made my day.  It was the first time he has ever called out to me. 

Is it any different for God?

 God showed me important insights to that scripture.  As a parent, it is important for my kids to know I love them as they have trial and error in their lives. This applies to me as well.