Lessons from Little Miss

It's so humbling, awe-inspiring, frustrating, and funny when God chooses to teach us lessons through the tiny, stained, dirt-streaked little people tugging at our legs, otherwise known as toddlers.

My Little Miss teaches me daily about life, about love, about priorities, about sacrifice, and lately, about God's love for ME. I often draw illustrations and parallels from her actions to me and mine to hers that show me God's love...a poor comparison at best, but it's there nonetheless. If I love her as much as I do, how much MORE does God love me?

Unfathomable.

The other night was no exception. Little Miss wanted ice cream for her snack, so even though she's graduated from high chair to booster seat at the table, I went ahead and brought her high chair into the living room so she could watch cartoons while she ate and have a tray to contain the mess. (and give Mommy a few minutes to write while she snacked!!) I went to get the chair with the high chair attached from the dining room, and she toddled with me and grabbed the front legs of the chair. "I help too. I help too."

"No, baby, Mama's got it. It's okay." Now we're both holding the big dining room chair.

"NOOOOOO I help too!!!!!"

"Okay, okay."

Together, we carry the chair into the dining room, Little Miss walking in front of me, backwards, holding onto the front two chair legs. Very meticulously, with lots of effort, she held the chair and walked backwards, through the kitchen, around the corner, past the fridge, around the trashcan, into the living room, to the designated snack spot by the couch.

The whole time, I'm thinking she's hurting more than helping. I'm still supporting the entire weight of the chair, and not only that, but also having to exert more effort and strength into making sure I matched her slow pace and didn't let her run into anything and didn't let the chair hurt her.

While I was walking, a thought hit me. Isn't that what we do to God sometimes? Say "NO I DO IT!" or "NO I HELP!" when He's got it under control, and could have done it faster and better if we hadn't gotten in the way? I could have put my foot down and insisted she go ahead of me and let me do the work. But I didn't. I let her help, let her experience, let her learn, even if it was hard. God does that to us too, I am convinced.

That lesson makes me want to yield to God's direction....and be that much more patient with my Little Miss, who is growing up in a complicated world and doesn't understand yet that sometimes yielding control is better than trying to constantly stay in control.

A lesson we can all use....