But that's mine!

   This post is inspired by the kids that I babysat the other night. I've been babysitting them since I was 13 and I love them to death! They are my unbiological little siblings. All three of them. But I had more trouble than I've ever had before with the middle child on Monday night. She is an incredibly sweet 3 year old... most of the time. Monday night, she was being a pill. She wanted her own way and when I asked her to stop doing something because it was unsafe for her or her little sister, she got upset with me. She reminded me so much of myself when I was little, that I seemed to have endless patience with her. But at last, I had to put her in time out, and when she refused to stay there, I had to call her mom and put her on the phone. And her mom told her she would get a paddling when she got home, and then she was a bit nicer to me. I still felt bad for her though because I remember being in her shoes all too many times when I was little. And I was remembering the things she said to me that night and pondering them. Things like "You can't touch that because that's mine" "you can't take that away from me because that's mine" "You're not REALLY in charge" "I'm a big girl, I can do it myself."
   And I was thinking.... How often do I act like that towards God? How many times have I begged Him not to take my sister way from me because she is MY sister? How many times have I tried to do something all on my own because "I'm a big girl" and I can handle it? How many times have I asked God to do something, not really willing to take any answer other than "yes" as if I'm in charge? How many times has God warned me to take a step back because I'm playing with fire and He doesn't want me to get hurt? And then I refuse to and tell Him that He isn't being fair, when really He knows best.
   I remember hating it when I was little and adults would tell me not to do something because I was going to get hurt. I was constantly climbing on stuff I could fall from, or touching things that could burn me.... And now, I'm the one saying that to kids, and I see why people said it to me! And now I'm feeling like a child again before God. Like a stubborn 3 year old who wants her way. Pointing at things God takes from me and saying "but that's mine!"

~Melody