“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.'” Isaiah 55:8-9

Higher Thoughts

Within a 24-hour period, three of my children were mad at me. One child was upset because I wouldn’t let him do something that would harm him in ways he was still too young to fathom. So “waaah waaah waaah,” came the complaints. “I want to do this thing and my mom won’t let me, WAAAAAAAH.”

A different child was upset because I would not let her do something that might harm someone else.

The third child was upset because I wasn’t handling a situation in the way she wished I would have, which is the way she is sure she would have handled it, and so her conclusion was, “My mom is selfish.”

In each instance, the child did not see that I was both perfectly capable of understanding why they thought the way they thought about the situation, but my wisdom and experience told me that my way of handling it was wiser and safer.  In each case, all they could see was the “no.” They could not see that on the backside of the “no” was an even greater “yes” than their young minds could imagine.

I don’t expect my kids to be happy with all of my choices. But I want them to understand that when they willingly and humbly come under my authority, even when they do not understand my reasoning, life goes more smoothly than when they resist. Often, arrogance leads a child to disobey, and do what she wanted to do anyway, and therefore I am forced to take a disciplinary action that I never wanted to have to take. If my child had only trusted me. 

It’s not that I desire to keep information hidden; it’s often simply that even if I explain, they still would not understand. When a child is humble enough to submit, and say, “I trust you, Mom. I know you would never willingly allow anguish into my life, and that you understand something I do not. So I will not complain; I will trust you,” then I know I have that child’s heart.

And that is a heart to which I can begin to explain my own.

“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11

Dear Jesus, though my understanding is limited, I choose this day to trust my limitless Heavenly Father who understands what I cannot. Amen.