Those were the words that tucked my toddler into bed last night. Words his Daddy decided would entice his son to not get out of bed, to stay there all night, and then come in the next morning at a decent hour.
You see we’ve been battling bedtime wars in our home for nearly a year now. Talk about persistence. It’s exhausting training a toddler to stay in his bed. We’re not ashamed of bribery. Sometimes you do what you got to do to survive. That’s where we’re at.
It worked. Our toddler didn’t get out of bed a single time, he fell asleep peacefully, and never once came into our room in the middle of the night. Amen.
He walked into our room this morning and exclaimed with great enthusiasm that he could now play with his friends.
I looked at my husband.
You see, my toddler doesn’t understand time just yet. He doesn’t realize tomorrow night doesn’t mean the instant he wakes up. I prepare him for what’s coming on a need-to-know basis. I never tell him we’re doing something special until it’s the next thing on his agenda, or at least close enough to know I can grin and bear it as he asks me a million times if he can go do this special thing.
My husband didn’t think this through. I’m enjoying teasing him and threatening his very being if he ever does it again because about every other sentence today has been, “I can go play with my friends now.” And I have to say no buddy, not until after dinner. My husband? Oh he’s at the office where he doesn’t have to answer the question or respond to the statement over and over and over and over again. The booger.
But this whole scenario got me to thinking today as I cleared the breakfast dishes, and then again as I washed the lunch dishes. I guess I do my best thinking while doing dishes because I really don’t get a shower all that often. Showers are usually interrupted so I don’t think much while in there. I digress.
This whole telling my son what he will receive before he can handle knowing it’s coming. It reminds me of a couple of verses in Habakkuk.
Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. ~Habakkuk 1:5
For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay…but the righteous shall live by faith. ~Habakkuk 2:3, 4b
Like I do with my toddler, God doesn’t tell me what He’s up to until the time is right. He knows what I can handle by His grace and He knows when I need to walk by faith. And really God is always up to something. If He told us we wouldn’t believe Him and if we did, we’d drive Him bananas asking Him, “Is it time yet? Are we there yet?”
I have a few prayers I’m crying out to the Lord with on a daily basis. My heart battles to live by faith, and in all honesty, I’d love to know the end of this thing. I’d love to know exactly how long I will have to endure before I will receive His promise. But looking at my toddler today, I think I’ll just keep waiting happily. Knowing the end of a thing doesn’t make it happen any faster, and I would just drive the people around me crazy as I impatiently wait for the day to arrive when I will be free from this burden.
Toddlers. They sure do have a way of bringing the Bible alive. That’s grace y’all. Everyday grace.
This post is part of 31 Days of Everyday Grace series. You can see all the posts here.
Linked with Graced Simplicity, Proverbs 31 Thursdays, Thrive @ Home, Friday! Friday!, Essential Fridays.
The post 31 Days of Everyday Grace: Why We Can’t Know the Future {Day 31} appeared first on Intentional By Grace.
