His Way is Always Best

     Thinking tonight about answers to prayers and how they never cease to surprise me.  When I pray, I learned long ago not to tell God how to fix something, I just pray.  I ask Him to fix it His way and give it to Him.  It always amazes me how He orchestrates these repairs.   Just lately I’ve been asking Him to help me with my oldest, who is twelve.  I have been trying to no avail to teach her responsibility.  Natural consequences and plenty of advice (nagging) and one new plan after another to help us “get” each other, haven’t seemed to quite sink in to the extent that I would like.
     Being with her every day, all day makes it even more difficult.  I’m sure that by now I sound like the teacher from the Peanuts cartoons, mwa-mwa-mwa-mwa…….!  I feel like a broken record.  Do people still use that simile?  Regardless, I feel like one and I despise that feeling.  I would love for her to get up every morning and look at her chore list without a word from me.  I would love for her to be ready to go on time.  Owning her education and being self-motivated would please more than I could even imagine.  So I pray.

      Then it happened.  Last week she was offered the opportunity to help out at a kid’s camp.  She did it with her whole heart and was recognized for that.  I was told by the person running the camp what a huge pleasure it was to have her assistance and that she was welcome to continue for some other campers this week.  On the ride home from the first day, she confided in me how she felt very grown-up.  “I felt like I had a job!” she said.  It made me smile.
     That’s when it hit me.  This is more important than both of us realized when she was offered the opportunity.  We thought of the fun.  We thought it would be a wonderful summer time-filler for her and she loves small children.  I now see it as an answer to my prayer.  God will use this to show her that responsibility can be a pleasant thing.  Doing good for others can be its own reward.  Having them depend on you and coming through for them is so rewarding.  The best part of it all is it’s not me depending on her.
       Never, in a million years, would I have thought to pray for that, but I didn’t need to think of it.  That’s what is so wonderful about praying and giving your problems to God.  Truly giving them up and waiting to see what He will do with them.  He is always faithful to deliver.  Remember to keep your heart open for the answer.  Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.  God is good.