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There are so many things I’m learning about faith lately. This morning as I read my Bible, I came across 2 Peter 1:5-10.
2 Peter 1:5-10
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
It really made me think. I spoke briefly on this passage at our Mother Daughter Lunch this year. Once again I found myself going back to the very beginning of those verses. “Add to your faith…” If I have to add all these things to my faith, then what is faith? What is the starting place? Almost immediately Hebrews 11:1 came to mind.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
I started trying to draw a parallel, a way to understand the verse further. I thought about how we have faith in an object – like having faith that the chair I sit in will support my weight. I also thought about how we can have faith in faulty objects – like when we sit in a chair, thinking it will hold us, and it breaks. But I still didn’t think my comparison was accurate.
My mind wandered a little as I realized that Little man would be waking up soon. Then it occured to me. Last night I came home from my secret shop and was eating my sub. Little man walked over to me, seeing that I was eating, and demanded some. Now he can’t talk much yet, but he sure made his wishes known. He stood there by my chair and held my skirt, and just whined and even yelled and screamed.
That’s when it hit me. I’m just like he was.
I’ve already asked God to answer my prayers. He’s heard me. He knows the desire of my heart. But what good does it do if I just stand there and yell and scream and whine? That’s not going to change God’s answer. Just like last night with Little man. He couldn’t eat my sandwich, as much as he wanted it. He didn’t know that though. I wouldn’t give Little man what he wanted because I had a good reason. I knew what was best for him. I know God has a reason for not answering my prayers the way I want Him to. Maybe there’s something else I need to learn, or maybe I need to grow some more before God answers the prayer I’ve been praying for so long.
I couldn’t figure out why Little man would want my food, when he had just eaten dinner. Why wasn’t he satisfied with what he ate? And again, I’m reminded of my own life. I have a beautiful one-year-old son through the miracle of adoption. Yet, instead of being satisfied with the blessing God has given me, I yell and whine and cry for another.
Kinda humbling thought, if you ask me.
Will that desire for another baby ever go away? I don’t know. I doubt it. But I know that God has heard my prayers, and He will answer them in His own way in His timing.
Never thought I’d say that I’m just like my son…