"Everybody Happy, Happy"

I like to keep people happy. It’s something I have to work on because I can try and do this too much sometimes and forget that there is no way you can make everyone happy. In fact, it’s not your responsibility to make anyone happy. Your job is to love God and others. The happiness thing is a choice for each individual.

Well tonight, as I struggled with my toddler to go to sleep at a reasonable time. Really, I knew better. If I change one thing in the bedtime routine it sets off a ripple affect that leads to my son playing a game of how much play time can I get in before I go to bed. He also has meltdowns over little insignificant things that would regularly not upset him. Well tonight was one of those nights and I changed the schedule because he was sick and I needed to go downstairs to get the nasty contraption that sucks all his snot out of his nose because I’m trying to avoid another ear infection. He is pretty prone to those right now with allergies and colds and such that are in full swing.

So after I lay him down and he falls asleep pretty fast once I leave the room, I know I did the right thing even though moments before I closed his bedroom door I was having an inner battle. Should I have given him more medicine? Should I torture him with one more battle before bedtime? He may just be teething. Maybe he needs more Tylenol. What if I caused this? Where did I take him that made him sick? Maybe he’s hungry. Maybe I should have fed him more for dinner. And the list goes on…

Finally as I reached downstairs and I let go of the questions. I talk to God and say “God it is so hard to keep my son happy”.  And immediately he said “that’s not your job”. And immediately I realized that’s not God’s job either in relationship to his children. How many times do we think it is? My job is to keep my son alive, teach him right and wrong, how to choose the former and identify the latter. My job is to teach my son about God and share the promises he has for us. But most importantly my job is to love my son. Part of that love is sometimes really tough to carryout because it’s not easy to love someone who doesn’t understand the reasons behind your actions and when you try to explain them they still can’t understand.  Sometimes my son will fight my best efforts to help him feel better. Like giving him medicine… that’s a pretty tough task. Or using the weird contraption that helps take the boogies out. Yeah that’s probably the worst battle…

I feel like this is so much like our relationship with God. He is doing the best for us. He is loving us and keeping us alive spiritually. Sometimes taking us through tough trials. Sometimes we get ourselves into some really messy situations. He is helping us through those. Sometimes disciplining us. This is God in his finest because he loves us he allows us to grow. He helps us grow even when we don’t necessarily want to. He does not want to allow us to stay sick or in an unhealthy situation. He patiently and lovingly puts up with our antics. When we yell at him and blame him in our confusion and frustration. He works alongside us to get out of it. But we have to let him.

If you are in one of those situations I hope you know God is with you. You may not hear him or see him but I know that no matter how dark or dreary the situation he is there. And he will never leave you and he will (if you let him) get you through it.

Hold on to your Father. Surrender. And allow Him to show you the way out of the mess or through the mess today. Oh and Remember the scripture  James 1:2-4

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Sometimes, that's how we know we're doing something right.