Love

Hey all :)
So I learned a very important lesson about God's love in trying to teach Levi a lesson about love...
1st of all-I have been babysitting these boys for about a year and Levi is really my little buddy :) It is neat-this family has really enfolded me and made me a true part of the family and I really feel like Levi is kinda (in a way) mine. Just because I have taken so much care of him...anyway.
Levi started pre-school this year (he is 4) so now 2 days a week I am at their house at 7:30 and then take him to preschool by 8:30. As many of you know, I was studying to be a sign language interpreter for the deaf and one thing I taught Levi right before school started was "I love you" in sign language. It is so cute, ever since then when they are lining up at school to go to class, as I am walking out, me and Levi sign "I love you" to each other.
ANYWAY, I do have a point here people :)
This morning, we were running late. I was in the kitchen writing a note to his mom and he was getting his shoes on (he got them on by himself, on the right feet, I was so proud of him!). On the counter next to me were some pieces of gum and just as I was finishing up the note, he came up behind me and grabbed a piece of gum. I promptly told him no. He (with all the innocence of a 4 year old) said: "Mom always lets me" and I said "No Lee" while taking the gum from his hand. This resulted in him commencing to sob his eyes out. So, there I am with a sobbing boy on my hip and a pen in my other hand trying to finish the note and console him at the same time.

It would have been SO EASY to just say "Ok Lee, have your piece of gum". I knew that if I gave it to him he would stop crying and when we got to school he wouldn't be clingy/not want to go. BUT, I didn't. See I knew that they do not allow gum at school and I also knew that his Mom would allow him to have gum when he got home from school. I proceeded to tell him this as I was getting my shoes on, getting his backpack, and trying to get out the door (keep in mind we were running late).
Then I said something that the Lord turned around and directed to me as soon as it came out of my mouth.
This whole summer I had been trying to instill in Levi and his brothers that when I said no or told them to stop doing something it was not because I did not love them or want them to have fun. Instead, it was because I knew that there was something better that they could be doing or I just plain didn't want them to get hurt. Some of the time (like with Lee this morning) I knew that there would have been consequences (he probably would have had it taken away) and I wanted to save him from that altogether. He would just need to wait a little bit longer...
Anyway, I was carrying him to the car and I was telling him as we went (he was still crying): "Levi, remember how I told you that sometimes I tell you no not because I don't love you but because I do love you. Just because I said no to gum RIGHT NOW doesn't mean that you can't have it later. You just have to WAIT and when you get home, mom will give you some." He calmed down after he remembered that and as I was putting him in his carseat he said "I don't want to go to preschool". I sighed and said "But Lee then we can't sign 'I love you' to eachother". So he was like "oh ok" or something like that and we went to preschool and just as he was going to the line he turned his little face up to me and looked me in the eye and then signed "I love you" 1ST without me signing it to him! I smiled at him and signed it back and his teacher thought it was the cutest thing ever. She was like "Awww, what does that mean Levi?" And he looked up and said "I love you". It was so precious!

I was thinking about how ften we say "God, I want this or this or this now!" And He looks at us and says "No or just tells us to simply wait. It is not because He doesn't love us or wants to "spoil our fun". It is BECAUSE He loves us and He knows what good things are in store for us if only we would allow Him to take the "gum" from us and just surrender to Him and trust in the fact the He knows better then us when it comes to our lives. Remember giving Him the whole pen for our life story thing? Well today I was challenged to give Him my gum :) What can I say? When you babysit 4 year olds sometimes those analogies just come up :)

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

So anyway :) I hope that made some sort of sense :) Blessings to you all!