Tantrums

One of my little ones has terrible tantrums. We're not talking about a phase; these are serious ones where she gets so angry that she deliberately tries to hurt people. We have to take her out of the room sometimes for time outs. It's difficult to carry a child who is thrashing around, kicking, scratching, punching, knocking glasses off, and screaming at the top of her lungs. Sometimes it just breaks my heart to see her so angry.

The other day during a tantrum I had to leave her with some of the ladies working in the kitchen because I had to go back to help out with the other preschoolers. I had to trust that she would do the right thing when I walked away and left her.

I started thinking about it, though, and began to wonder how many times I've been like that with God. How many times has something happened that set me off on some emotional tirade of sorts, and instead of calmly listening to God and doing what I needed to do, I fought Him tooth and nail? How many times had I punched with my fists, kicked my feet, and screamed at the top of my lungs, "I don't want to"? How many times did God have to watch me curl up on the floor with my face in my hands and trust that I would do the right thing?

I went back to check on her when I had a minute. I found a little girl sitting cross-legged with her hands in her lap, calmly waiting for me. And when I reached my hand out to her, she didn't hit my hand away; she put her little hand in mine and let me lead her.

~"I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." [Ephesians 1:16-17]~