The Easiest Way to Get What You Need

   by Texas Stready

Something about the way he stares at me. As if he can read my thoughts. There’s no judgment in his eyes. Just hundreds of curious questions.

Solace is already four months old. He can’t ask questions yet, but it’s only a matter of time. “Why this?” “What now?” and “How come?” will soon be bouncing off the walls around him.

As we grow up we lose our ability to love without condition.

Pierce, my other grandson, is five. He’s been around a while. How blessed I am. In five long years, after thousands of questions, Pierce still thinks I’m great.

Why? Because he trusts me—doesn’t know enough to do things his own way. He follows directions, keeps simple expectations and believes for the best. He rarely assumes anything. There’s much to be learned from the simplicity of a child’s mind.

“…you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” ~ Luke 10:21 NIV

Their mother, Azlynn, works at a senior living facility. She came home yesterday heartbroken.

“It is so sad to hear clients talk about being too much of a burden to their children.” I’ll be reminding her of that in a few years.

The same people who loved their parents unconditionally as children, now abandon their aged parents to an outsider’s care.

Isn’t it funny? We lose our dependency as we gain knowledge. Funnier still, losing our sense as we age, renders us dependent once more. Maybe that’s God’s way of saying, “Don’t get so smart you forget you need Me.”

We are created to be dependent on Christ. The problem is, we mature as Christians and swear we have it all figured out. We question God’s ability, argue with His procedure, then implement our own plan. We ask rude questions with sharp attitudes, losing sight of exactly who God is.

• Omnipotent – all powerful
• Omniscient – all knowing
• Omnipresent – everywhere at once

God does not rely on our tactics, follow our formulas, or depend on our methods. Instead He’s up there, hand on hip saying, “Chill, Tex. I got this.”

Best of all, God’s heart is soft toward us. “He’s the kindest person I’ve ever met,” to quote Graham Cooke. http://www.brilliantperspectives.com

Later that day, Pierce accidentally threw his Transformer on the roof. Last month we had a similar incident. After hauling a huge ladder from the back yard, I informed him that if he threw anything else up there, up there it would stay.

Too ashamed for speech, he comes in the house acting out what went wrong. He points to himself makes a throwing motion and then points to the roof. Because I know him so well, I know exactly what he’s saying. I hold up my hand to stop his performance and say, “Do you know that I love you, Pierce?” He nods. “Then if you want my help, you’re going to have to tell me what happened.”

Within moments we’re dragging the ladder once more.

This brings focus to my picture of what God feels for us.

Haven’t you ever laid in bed too guilty to pray? This behavior keeps our desires out of reach. We do things our way then want God to swoop down and save the day without so much as calling His name.

The Bible says if we confess our sins He forgives us. It also says we don’t have because we don’t ask.

As I reflect on the events of the last ten hours, I can hear God’s voice:

“I love you completely. Remain dependent on Me. Ask the right questions with the right heart, and you’ll get the right answers at the right time.”

You, dear friend, are not alone. We’re all inadequate. We sit analyzing and figuring, when all the while, God’s done the hard part for us. His plan involves a simple way to get exactly what we need.

Remember, God’s crazy about you and He’s totally trustworthy.

How do you get what you need? Ask Him. That’s how.

Don’t believe me? Try it. I double-dare you!