Parenting 101
When I was a little girl there were times my parents would tell me to do something and I would think to myself “man….that just sounds like such a horrible idea.” Maybe you can relate.
Of course no parent is perfect. But a good parent always has their child’s best interest in mind.
“No, you can not have another piece of candy before dinner”
“No, you may not run mindlessly into the street.”
“No, you can not speak like that to your friends.”
Why do they say these things? Not because they want to be controlling. But because they want us to be able to live our best lives. Children don’t know the perfect serving size, or that the street isn’t a safe place to play, or that people are not going to respond well to yelling. They need to be trained up, taught, and shown how to be. Thank GOODNESS parents are able to do this, otherwise children would be WYLIN, and lost without direction.
It is the same with the Heavenly Father. (I’m not Jesus juking you, I’m simply telling you the truth.) Jesus did not come to be a controlling religious guy and tell the world that they suck. He came to bring LIFE in every sense of the word. (John 3:16-17). And God actually is a perfect father. He always has our best interest in mind. This means that when the Holy Spirit brings things up, tells me no, or leads me a certain way–He has purpose in doing so. (Even when I think to myself “man…that just sounds like such a horrible idea.”)
This is not a feely goody message either. Because sometimes our “best interest” feels horrible. And we can’t understand how it could be for any good at all. And that’s when I start to freak out and my brain just wants to know the answers. And I want to understand.
But I am not “the parent”. So I might not always understand. And when we have authority that we love and trust, we don’t need to have all the answers. We just trust that whatever they decide is for the best.
Here’s what I am saying: I wouldn’t want control if I had full confidence that God’s intentions are ALWAYS good.
God is always good. And that means so are his intentions. We trust him with our lives. We can trust him with our money. We can trust him with our plans, or with our lack there of. We can trust him with it all.
It’s important to remember that. Especially for me right now as I’m navigating all the newness.
God is a good dad. And He wants what’s best for his kids.
I will never stop saying yes to him. Thank GOODNESS God is willing to guide me, otherwise I would be WYLIN, and lost without direction.
He is so worth saying YES to.
Peace & Joy to you, reader and friend.
P.S. Maybe you’re stuck in a spot where you are hesitant to say “yes” to God. Or maybe you don’t really know what that even looks like. Here’s something I’ve been praying, that I invite you to join me in.
“Hey, God. You are good. and you are more than ENOUGH for me. Thank you for always being enough. Thank you that you are less concerned about all the things I can DO for you, and more concerned about me just knowing you. I want to know you more and more and more. Show me how. I don’t know how. Show me how. I’m saying yes to you and all that you have for me..Thank you, God. Amen”
