One afternoon, we realized our sweet (almost) 1 year old daughter was growing up when she decided to test her limits with her daddy. Our little brown eyed beauty, who holds her daddy's heart in her hand, was up to no good...and she knew it.
Mackenzie was getting into many things that she shouldn't...most of which we can give a "no-no" and move on...but this day...oh, this day, she had her sights set on the one thing her daddy couldn't ignore...his XBOX One (sometimes known as his 3rd baby).
Kenzie crawled her way over to it and began to play with it. Daddy gave a valiant effort at telling her no, to only be met with a dimpled giggle and sweet smile. Daddy become more forceful and stood up by her...still nothing...this is a girl, who at 11 months, pretty much gets what she wants...Finally, Daddy had to take her little hand and give it a (light...don't freak out here, people) smack.
Oh the horror!
Tears welled up in those big brown eyes...pouty lips emerged...and all of a sudden, all hell broke loose.
As Kenzie becomes more "person" and less "baby", being told "NO" is a big thing for her and Daddy right now..."No, you may not climb the stairs" (You'll get hurt)..."No you may not kiss the kitty multiple times" (You'll really get hurt!)..."No, bubby's legos are not for eating" (You'll choke!)..."No, you may not play with your diaper (Just...eww....)
Now, did Daddy tell her no to be awful, mean, spiteful, angry? No...he told her no to prevent a possible event that there would be no coming back from...he told her no to protect her...Because as Daddy, he know more about those moments than Kenzie could possibly know or see...
It occurred to me just how often we take a turn at this dance with our Heavenly Father...
Recently in my life, I had a really nice opportunity come my way...one I wasnt looking for...One I didn't expect, but one that could be a life change for my family in the most epic way possible...I wanted it. I dreamed of it...My husband and I would stay up late, just talking about the what if...We had discussed the possibility so much in our own lives that we had unintentionally talked it into reality...at least I felt that way. Everything had happened so fast that there was no way we could foresee this NOT happening.
But then, we came to a brakes screeching - force of gravity pulling - heart stopping realization. We had talked to each other...we had talked to friends...we hadn't stopped to talk to the Father. So, one night, we wrapped ourselves in each others arms, grabbed hands, and opened our hearts and dreams to Him. We prayed fervently for clarity, for discernment,... for Daddy to say No...
It didn't take long...the next day, I got the call that the opportunity was no longer available. And to my suprise...I was mad. I was furious...I thought Daddy was going to say yes! There's no reason in this Child's mind why the Father could not say yes!!! And as I walked through my disappointment, I began to think of Kenzie and my husband and his ultimate desire to protect her, because he knew the rest of the story...he knew the harm that would befall her as she continued down each path, even if her intentions were merely curious...
I realized, my Daddy told me No, because He knows the rest of my story. He is a careful and meticulous editor to my narrative. As I propose ideas, He gives them pause, because He knows what could happen if I try to shove them into the overall storyline He has for me. When we stop and give Him creative license to what we try to write for ourselves, He takes the pen, and with a flourish, begins to edit our story and share the ending of a chapter in a way we could have never have imagined...
We just had to decide to give Him the pen.
Sometimes in life, Daddy is going to say No...but instead of being Children, we need to look at His no with the loving foresight with which we protect our own little loves.
I heard my No for now...and I'm OK with it...I know my story's not done.
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