Time seems to be relative, and this is especially true for young kids. As the school year comes to a close, I can’t figure out where it went…yet my kids think that a single-digit number of days is an eternity. This morning after dropoff Samantha asked me the difference between ten years and ten months. “Well, in ten months it will be way past Christmas, and in ten years you will be driving.”
“Hmm,” she said, “both seem like a long time.” I asked Samantha if she would drive me to the gas station to get a soda when she is sixteen, which seems to be a big dream for each of my kids. She said, “Yes, but I still might want to ride in the passenger seat.” I told her she could decide when she gets older. She smirked, satisfied.
Then Teddy piped in, “Can I drive a bus?” “Sure Teddy,” I replied. “With a bunch of people in it?” “Yes.” “Thanks Mom,” he said.
Teddy needed to hear yes…“Yes, I believe in your dreams.” While I know this might not be exactly where he ends up, in the journey, saying, “Yes, I believe in where you are headed.” In my yes, I hold loosely and tenderly to his hopes, cheering on his trajectory.
It makes me think of how God hears us as we pray and cry out to Him. His gentle, “Yes, my child,” knowing the things we are asking for might not be “it” exactly, but God is kind letting us discover that ourselves over time. In His tender encouragement of our run towards Him, He says, “Yes, my child. Yes, keep dreaming. Proceed with your eyes fixed and hope placed on Me.” Our God is saying yes to our trajectory towards Him.
Teddy may not end up wanting to drive the yellow school bus packed with kids, but he is looking ahead, putting the little pieces of the world he has seen into the best order he knows how. I bet that’s what God sees us doing sometimes. As we try to arrange those pieces, let’s keep opening our Bibles and looking for what He wants to say, placing our yes’s the best way we know how…looking to our God who is gentle in His leading and gentle with our dreaming.
Big dreams are built one piece at a time, and the pattern of asking and proceeding, asking and proceeding, is how we follow our God. He sees the full picture and is gracious to lead us one piece at a time.
This is the free life. This is the life I never knew I always wanted.
