My son has learned to shriek. He half enjoys to hear his own voice, and the other half is a result of pure impatience. When he is ready to eat, he shrieks. Even if I am 2 feet away preparing a bottle.
Calm down buddy, Mommy’s coming!
What I am really thinking is Logan, have I ever not fed you when you needed to be fed? Have you ever gone hungry? I am doing the best I can to meet your needs whenever you have them! Nothing makes me happier than when you are happy and content. I know you like warm milk. It takes a minute for Mom to warm it. I don’t want you to have to settle for cold milk. Be patient. Your bottle is coming.
And to add to the shrieking, both of my kiddos are teething, which is *so fun*. (NOT!). I feel just awful to see them in pain, gnawing away at anything they can get in their mouth, frustrated that it’s not bringing them satisfaction. We try cold teethers, soft teethers, round, straight, and rigid teethers. Nothing seems to work. We have had to resort to Tylenol a time or two and I am just begging for those teeth to break through, to give them some relief. They don’t know why they are in pain right now, they have no idea that these teeth will be wonderful when they come in. For now, they just feel pointless pain.
As a parent now, I feel like I see God in a different way. Each and every day, I do everything I can to meet the needs of my children. And not only do I want to do everything to meet their needs, I want to do everything to meet their wants, because there’s nothing that makes me happier than when they are content and happy and peaceful. I want the best for them. Cold milk doesn’t cut it. Sometimes I can’t provide what they want – like total relief from teething pain – because I can’t speed up time or results, so I just have to do my best to help them, and provide them as many snuggles as I can, hoping my presence brings comfort. When Logan is shrieking for a warm bottle, it’s hard to reassurance him that it will be okay, that Mommy needs one more minute to warm it, to just trust me, that this is for his best….because they don’t quite understand my language yet.
Here’s the thing – I TRY to provide for them best I can. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
BUT GOD … God ALWAYS provides for His children and meets our needs and wants because He sees the big picture. He desires to make us happy, to “snuggle us” when we are crying, but sometimes teething, or bottle warming, gets in the way. And we don’t always understand His reassurance that He is still there, trying to hush us and remind us that it’ll be over soon, that we will be far happier with the results if we are just patient.
Sometimes our cries distract us so much that we don’t hear His voice soothing us…”Dear child, you’re almost done … its okay … shhh shhh your Father loves you. Your teeth will be in soon. Your bottle is almost warm. Stop shrieking, look into my eyes and know I want the best for you. Please be patient.” We become so distracted listening to our own voice, asking “why why why!”, that we forget that He is with us and wants the best for us.
And while I am only human and can only at best, provide teething toys and tylenol for my kids, God FULLY provides all we need – over and beyond what we could ever ask for, even when it doesn’t seem like it.
He is our Father, our Provider, and can truly be trusted because His love for us is far greater than anything we can comprehend. We can forget He is our parent, and just as we love our children or our pets or our spouse or siblings with all our heart, our knowledge of love barely touches the surface of how He feels for us. We don’t always understand His language, just as my babies don’t understand mine yet. And since we have that language barrier, I keep developing a relationship with them so even when they don’t understand what I am saying, they will trust me, trust that I want what’s best for them, trust that I love them and don’t want to see them suffer pointlessly. The same goes for God.
Have you ever thought “Why is He making me go through this?! Doesn’t He care for me? Why am I hurting so badly? When will relief come? I want _____ and I want it NOW!”
Isaiah 55:8-9 says “My thoughts,” says the Lord, “are not like yours, and my ways are different from yours. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways and thoughts above yours.”
As our parent, God sees much more than we see. He knows more than we know and we simply have to lean into the trust we have in Him, built on the relationship we have developed with Him, to rely on His presence during hard times. He brings us through the hard times, not without purpose. Sometimes it takes so much longer than we wish, I know. The length of time it takes is not reflective of His love for you. He sees that you’re hurting and He wants you to find comfort in His presence while you wait. He hasn’t left your side.
Hang in there friends. God loves you far more than anything we can understand. Cling to Him, He has never left your side.
XO,
Chelsea
PS – Here are the top 3 teething toys we have tried, and the kiddos seem to find the most comfort from them. If you are looking for some relief for your kids too, they may be worth a try! (The Manhattan one is our FAVORITE. Perfect for little hands! They go everywhere with us.)
Manhattan Toy Winkel Rattle and Sensory Teether Toy
Nuby Silicone Teethe-eez Teether with Bristles, Includes Hygienic Case, Aqua
PPS – Above links are affiliate links … and links I would totally recommend with or without affiliate links! :) If you choose to purchase any items, just think of it as a way to help me keep up with payment for the blog domain and the annual fees it takes to do so. :)
Trials Bring Joy 