My sister recently told me about an experience I want to share. One morning during the holiday break Jane called her daughter Amy. It was her grandson’s 1st birthday. No official extended family celebration had been planned. After their phone visit Jane had the thought that it would be fun to pick up all the local cousins and drive the hour and a half for a spur of the moment party for the birthday boy. She called her daughter to let her know they would be coming. Amy was thrilled.
“The way down was really quite pleasant,” she explained. “I put Carter and Drew (around age 4) in the very back seat, the two two-year-olds in the middle seats by the doors, and Abigail (age 7) between them to help them out if needed. We listened to children’s music all the way there. When we got there we ate a simple meal, opened presents, and ate cake shaped like a horse along with ice cream. Then, not wanting to get home too late, we said our goodbyes. It took me about 15 minutes just to get everyone back into their car seats! This was quite an undertaking!”
“The ride home from the party did not go quite as well as the ride to the party. Abbie, the 7-year-old “mother in training” started things out by turning around, looking at the 4-year-old cousins in the back seat and saying, “Now when I click my fingers like this…. it means that you guys better behave!” I should have known that was a sign. By now it was dark outside. About 10 minutes into the drive, Drew and Carter began to get wild, and Drew punched Carter in the face. Carter wailed! He called up to the front seat and told me what had happened and I scolded Drew and told him to stop, but as time went on, things didn’t change. I was very frustrated and after several more tries from the front seat, I decided it was time for new measures. I pulled the car over, got out and leaned over the back seat to get to Drew. I think he was a bit surprised. I shook my finger at him and said, “Now if you don’t cut this out right now, I’m going to put you outside in the cold and you can sit out there and settle down. Do you understand me?” “Yes,” he replied.”
“Needless to say it was quiet for several minutes and I was grateful. Then I heard this little voice come from the back seat. It was Drew, who said, ‘Well, grandma…if you put me outside the car, I won’t know where you are and I’ll maybe get lost.’”
“Then I heard the sweetest response, also from the back seat. Carter (who had been the receiver of the hitting) said, ‘Hey Drew, that’s OK, I’ll get out and sit with you.’”
“I felt at that moment I had been taught by a little child. I saw a parallel, vividly. In my mind Drew was like you and I and Carter was like Jesus.”
Step 3 says, “Come to believe that the power of God can restore you to complete sanity.” The most stunning aspect of the Lord’s power to restore us is His patience in the face of our outbursts and His loving willingness to sit with us. We’ve each hurt the Savior on more than one occasion and He’s felt the pain, more than we can ever understand. But the Savior, like Carter, is always willing to and in fact continues to sit out in the cold with us, until we are ready to behave and get back into the car for the rest of the journey.
By Nannette W.
Posted Wednesday, January 7, 2009
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