The waiting game can be fun

Having worked with kids of all ages for over half my life, I feel that I've learned a lot about them, though I am often struck by how much more I have to learn! One major thing I've learned about kids is that they are all different. Some like bananas, some hate bananas; some like Barney, some are scared of him; some smile a lot, some cry a lot etc., etc. It's always interesting for me to see how different kids react to being left by their parents in the church nursery. Some kids stare blankly at the door and refuse to move. Some burst into tears and run to me for comfort. Some begin kicking and screaming and refuse to let me help them. Some don't even seem to notice. While the kids react differently, one thing is always the same. Whether the kid likes it or not, Mom and Dad are not returning until a set time. The kid could be happy or miserable; it doesn't change anything except how good a time the child has. Being sad is not going to make the parents come back sooner, and being happy is not going to somehow keep them away. After all, it's not as if a parent would come to pick up his/her child, see the little one playing happily and say, "oh, good! I guess I can just go on home, since Jamie's so happy here." No! The parent will not leave without that child, regardless of the child's attitude about the whole experience. It's the same with God and us. God has every intention of giving us all we need to live and even what we need to be happy! (Matt. 6:31 and 33, Matt. 7:11, Psalm 37:4) But God makes everything happen in HIS time, not ours. Whether we sit around sulking or have a wonderful time where we are, God will bring us his good gifts at the perfect time. Our attitude toward waiting changes nothing for him and everything for us.