I love to people watch. Put me in the courtyard of a shopping mall, or sit me on a bench at a theme park, and I’m entertained for hours. There is just something strangely fascinating about catching that momentary glimpse into the life of another – one more reminder that, for all our differences, we humans are very much the same.
Today was no different.
Midday, I found myself sitting in Thomas Road Baptist Church’s lobby, struggling to reign in my desire to let mind and eyes wander freely away from my not-nearly-as-interesting statistics homework. Despite my best efforts, I could not help but find myself immediately startled by the abrupt scream of a small child.
And boy, do I ever mean scream.
It was a “she’s gonna get a good spanking for this” kind of scream that caused every eye in the lobby to glance upwards. To my immediate right was the source of the commotion – a brown-haired little girl, approximately age four or five. Writhing in her mother’s grip, this little girl was using every bit of strength she possessed to break free as she was led, kicking and screaming, towards the nearest exit. With a resolved expression, despite the intense struggle, her mother led them both, at a quickened pace, towards the door.
Boy, did they ever make a scene.
I’ve been around small children my whole life. Temper tantrums do not faze me one bit. But, I would hazard a guess that, for most of us, children's temper-tantrums are considered reserved for...well, children. But, despite maturity and a developing knowledge of what is deemed socially acceptable and what is not (public fit-throwing being high upon that “not” list), God knows that, even now, in the privacy of my own heart, many a fit has been thrown. So, you see, I have no room to judge.
“Lord, I WILL NOT go there.”
“Do not MAKE me go through that.”
“I do NOT WANT to feel this.”
“WHY HER, Lord, and NOT ME?”
Inner kicks...inner screams.
I never could quite make out the original cause of my little friend’s displeasure. Ultimately, it’s not that important. Whatever the cause, I am confident that her mama was planning to deal with it in the privacy of the car. But, the bottom line is that mama did not let my little friend’s fit slow her down, alter her direction, or change her mind. She had made her own little plans, but mama’s were different.
And I’m confident that mama’s were better.
Oh, there is a lesson to be learned everywhere – even from a little four-year-old in the church lobby. May her very human, childlike impulse reinforce the same lesson that my Heavenly Father has been patiently teaching me to live out –
His plans are always better. I may carve out my own agenda, but ultimately, He will direct my steps. And, He is a lot more interested in His glory than my pleasure.
My impulse is far too often the very same as my four-year old friend – to follow along, kicking and screaming, missing the journey, forfeiting the joy I could…and should…have in the process. Ultimately, wasting my strength in a battle I will not win. May I learn, in these times, not to fight Him, but to submit.
Lord, may you fill me with the spiritual maturity to accept your loving guidance as that of a Parent whose wisdom is greater, and whose agenda is better, even when I cannot see it. With my hand gripped tightly in Your own, help my heart rest in the knowledge that though the journey is often not what I would choose, Your leading is intentional, purposeful, and clear.
Thank you, Lord, for lessons learned in the most unexpected places.
"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." -Proverbs 16:9
