Yesterday I witnessed Teddy cry for 15 minutes. He cried. He sobbed. He had snot running down his face. He crumpled in a heap, unable to even stand up because of the misery.
The reason? He didn't have a coat and shoes on to go outside with his brother and dad. I told him that he needed to put on a coat and shoes and that we could go outside then. But he was already inconsolable.
I even set his shoes right by him. Crocs, easy to slip on in less than a minute. But he couldn't set aside his devastation of being left out to see that he could be included as soon as he got dressed appropriately.
I've been trying to spend more time in prayer lately, and watching this moment struck me. On one hand, I wanted to physically get him dressed and take him outside, where he'd be instantly happy. On the other hand, he had everything he needed to do it himself. That made me wonder how many times have I been absolutely miserable or so caught up in something that I don't see the solution that's right there, the path forward? How many times has God wished he could put my crocs on me, ease me into my coat and walk with me through the door to happiness? How often am I so stubborn and stuck in the moment that I can't take the simple steps to move forward?
It's almost laughable, in a pathetic and pitiful way, when Teddy crumbles into a mess over something so ridiculous when the solution is so easy. Yet, last night struck home for me that I'm probably that crumbled mess more often than I'd like to admit ... even when my crocs and jacket are right there.
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