Teachings from a toddler

A few weeks ago, one of my sisters and I babysat a 2-year-old girl. Her mom had gone to a doctor’s appointment, and we were left with the talkative, high-energy little blonde. She knows me and my sister, so when her mom gave her a kiss and headed out the door, Lydia kept right on playing with her plastic stove, sticking plastic grapes into the plastic oven and then presenting them to each of us as if she just created the chef’s special.

After lunch, her energy kicked into high gear, and she began to run back and forth between the kitchen and the living room. She just kept on running back and forth, back and forth, laughing the entire time and squealing whenever my sister or I caught her. I do not understand how little kids can do this without stopping to take a breath.

The game continued for about 10 minutes before something unexpected happened. As she was running from the living room to the kitchen, we heard the patter of her feet come to a dead stop right before she burst into tears. As my sister and I rushed to her side to figure out what caused this sudden turmoil, we heard through sobs one word: Mommy.

I was confused as to why she chose that particular moment to process the idea that her mom was not in the house with her. Why she realized this more than an hour after her mom left is still a mystery to me. The point is, that was the moment she decided to feel unsafe without her mom. She did not like the fact that her mom was nowhere to be seen, and she was left with two girls that could never take the place of her mommy.

Thinking back on this later, I realized how I can do the same thing with God at times. I can become high off of energy, running around and not paying attention to anything but myself. I focus on the things I need to accomplish, and I make my own plans for how to accomplish them.

But it is in those moments that I realize how badly I need God. I realize that I cannot keep up at this pace without him. That I cannot do anything without him. When I don’t hear his voice right away, I panic or feel frustrated at his silence. I never think about the fact that he might be teaching me something in his silence. I never think about the fact that he has put people in my life to guide me through these times of silence.

True, God never leaves us, but he can answer us with silence at times. I know from personal experience how exasperating it can be to cry out to God only to realize that I have to wait before he answers my plea. But he never leaves me alone.

Once we learn to trust God in his silence, it is much more rewarding when he breaks that silence with the fulfillment of his promise that he never leaves us nor forsakes us. The moment Lydia heard the front door opening, her face lit up and she ran to greet her mom. Her chubby cheeks now held a smile instead of tears, which were long forgotten.

When God speaks to me after a period of silence, I pray that I will not throw accusations at him for appearing to leave me alone. I pray that I will run into his open arms with joy and thanksgiving, knowing that he never leaves me nor forsakes me.