Sunday afternoon I was on a plane heading back to Chicago and in the row behind me was a family with a three year old. The second they put the seat belt on the three year old, he started screaming and throwing a temper tantrum. This lasted for what felt like forever. In the plane I was annoyed... but as I sit here thinking about life I'm grateful for the lesson God has shown me through this. So often in my life I feel like that three year old having a fit. I yell and I scream and I cry that I'm not getting my way. I get angry that God isn't giving me what I want. This kid's parents were trying to keep him safe. What they were putting him through was for his own good and it was necessary. So is God's plan for us. It is often hard to accept, but it is always for our own good and necessary for our growth. It is through the difficulties in life that we learn and are refined. How many times have I gotten angry with God and forgotten that He loves me and cares for me? He knows my deepest sorrows and longings. He knows when I hurt and cry and He's not putting me through the pain because He wants to. He's letting me experience the pain so that I remember to turn to Him, so that I can learn that His ultimate plan is for my own good. And I can kick, and scream, and cry just as long as I want, but His plans will not change. He will work everything out according to His will. Sometimes I just wish that I could accept and rest in that knowledge... without the temper tantrums.
