My son, James, turned two years old several weeks ago and, my goodness, we have hit two hard! My once mild-mannered child has big feelings, even bigger tantrums, and declares roughly sixty times a day, “I do myself!” Recently when we were at the pool, James giggled as he watched other children get thrown into the pool by their parents. When I looked at my sweet boy and said, “Do you want Mommy to throw you in?” he replied loudly, “NO MOMMY! I DO MYSELF!”
Our household is full of meltdowns these days—but not just from my son. In these trying moments, I find my compassion running dry. My grace runs out as we have yet another teachable moment, and my “fuse” becomes shorter and shorter.
Reflecting on these moments, I find myself thinking about my relationship with our Heavenly Father, and I realize I am not very different from my two-year old. I, too, have big feelings. I have been known to throw my own temper tantrums, even if they manifest themselves as passive aggression or sarcasm. I consistently demand to do things my own way. And, like my son, these episodes leave me tired and drained.
But the response from my Heavenly Father is so different from the way I respond in trying times. God is slow to anger. He offers me compassion, grace upon grace, and removes my sin as far as the east is from the west. His abounding love covers me, and I feel safe and nurtured in His arms. As we continue to mature in our faith, it is my hope and prayer that our response to those around us will look more like our Heavenly Father’s response to us.