One of Katherine’s true loves in life is apple juice. She has loved it since the first day she ever drank it. We initially gave it to her after weaning off formula to whole milk to help with her digestion and some minor stomach problems.
She drank lots of juice for a few weeks because the transition from formula was a trying one at times. I won’t go into detail, but will suffice to say that we finally made it to the other side. After surviving that momentary trial, we have a new battle.
Katherine still loves apple juice. But we know she can’t exclusively drink that. She needs milk and some water so that she stays hydrated and gets the necessary nutrition her growing body needs. So we fight the good fight daily, not giving her too much juice.
When she finally gets her cup of juice, she happily slurps it down... and requests a new cup almost as soon as she received the first one. When she gets milk or water, she’ll tentatively sip it. Sometimes she’ll throw it down in frustration, while other times she’ll take big gulps just to let it dribble down her face and outfit. (Personally, I think she tries that to get rid of her drinks so she can cycle back to juice quicker...) Then there are times she just rejects it outright. She’ll begrudgingly take her cup, but won’t drink it, even though she’s thirsty and needs it.
Practically, I know this is all just part of the journey of parenting a toddler. I know that ultimately, it’s my and Thomas’ responsibility to give her what she needs and not cater to her every whim. I take it in stride and put her in dry clothes when she decides to dribble, and we start over. We have many similar situations, like cleaning up messes, eating, toys, and so many other parts of life with a toddler.
But thinking about this situation made me think of something else. We, as humans, are often like toddlers with God.
Ultimately God gives us what we need for that particular moment. Sometimes what we need aligns with the desires of our heart, but other times it doesn’t. When things are as we want it, we’re overwhelmingly excited and happy. Conversely, we get upset and can throw our unique style of a fit when we don’t get what we want.
God, being a loving parent, doesn’t merely cater to our fleeting whims that are ultimately linked to what makes us comfortable and happy. He also continues to dutifully give us our versions of milk and water when we REALLY want our version of apple juice. This is what generally happens when we feel like God doesn’t answer our prayers. We ask, plead, and beg for x, y, and z. We tell God all about why we need it and how happy it’d make us. We are even willing to make a scene and storm off when he says no, or more typically, when he says NOT YET. It’s not that he’s being a jerk and wanting to make us mad, but he knows that our desires aren’t necessarily what’s best for us in the grand scheme of things. When the time is right he’ll happily give us the desires of our heart. He wants us to be happy, but he also wants to make sure we have what we need.
And sometimes, your child begs and begs and begs for juice, and due to their unrelenting requests, they get juice sooner. Every once in a while God will do that too, especially if it's a dire situation!
Thankfully, like most parents of toddlers, even though we get exasperated, annoyed, and want to throw our hands up and walk, nay, SPRINT away, while screaming various profanities, we don’t abandon our children (or do most of those things). God doesn’t, either.
And, like most parents, you smile seeing your child happily enjoying their juice and living their best life. And hearing their cute toddler voice say “thank you” melts your heart. I like to think God also does that when he finally says YES to our prayers!
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