If You Knew What I Had in Store

One morning, when my son Shia was about a year old, I was trying to get him ready to go outside.

If you’ve ever tried getting a toddler dressed, you probably know how that goes.

He wouldn’t sit still.

Every shirt.

Every sock.

Every shoe.

Every step felt like a battle.

The funny part was…

I wasn’t trying to keep him from something he loved.

I was trying to get him to it.

Outside.

His favorite place.

As I wrestled his little arms into his shirt, I found myself saying,

“If you knew what I had in store for you, you would stop fighting me so much.”

The words surprised me.

Almost as quickly as they came out of my mouth, I sensed God whispering to my heart,

“Yes, Abby… if My children knew what I had in store for them, they would stop fighting Me so much too.”

I just stood there for a moment.

Because it wasn’t really about Shia anymore.

It was about me.

How many times had I resisted something simply because I couldn’t yet see where God was leading?

How often had fear made me tighten my grip when God was inviting me to trust Him?

Shia wasn’t fighting me because he didn’t want to go outside.

He was fighting because he couldn’t yet understand what I was preparing him for.

And maybe that’s true for us sometimes too.

We don’t always see what God sees.

We don’t always understand why He’s asking us to wait…

Or let go…

Or take the next step.

But perhaps His heart has never been to withhold something good from us.

Perhaps He’s been preparing us for it all along.

Looking back over my life, I can see so many moments that didn’t make sense while I was living them.

Moments I resisted.

Moments I questioned.

Moments I wanted to hurry past.

Now I see them differently.

Not because I had all the answers.

But because I’ve learned that God’s heart has always been trustworthy.

Sometimes faith isn’t having a clear picture of what’s ahead.

Sometimes it’s simply trusting the One who’s gently helping us get ready for it.

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Part of the Breadcrumbs collection by Abby Lewis—true stories that leave room for God to speak.