i'm making it right now! (or thoughts on timing)

Yesterday in Sunday School we talked about the Lord's timing versus our own timing. We all agreed that there have been many times in our lives when we've asked for something and then been upset with the Lord because we're not getting it right then. As the discussion progressed, all I could think of were my kids and the oh-so-painful daily event called Dinner Time.

Dinner Time at Casa Bunker is usually met with the following:
1. "I'm hungry Mom." to which I provide some comforting answer like, "Yes, I know, honey, I'm going to make dinner in a few minutes.

2. "But I'm hungry NOW, Mom." to which I repeat the same comforting answer, "Yes, I know, honey. But you're going to have to wait for dinner. I'm going to make it in a few minutes."

3. "BUT MO-OM! I'm so hungry RIGHT NOW!!" to which my answer becomes less comforting and more like, "Do you see me? I'm going in the kitchen RIGHT NOW to make your dinner. Seriously. Have I ever not fed you?"

4. "MOM? What is that disgusting smell? What are you making for dinner?" To which all comfort has gone from my answer and they are either met with "whatever I feed you" or "something really gross and you have to eat it because you're SO hungry!"

5. "MOM!! I need a snack right now. SNACK. SNACK!" You can guess what kind of answer follows.

How does this relate?

In our relationship with Heavenly Father, we are the children. How many times have we told the Lord, "I need ___" in much the same way that my kids tell me they're hungry. Then, like my children, we expect hot dinner prepared to our specifications to instantly appear on the plate before us. After all, we're hungry RIGHT NOW!

Thankfully, our Heavenly Father is a loving (and perfect) parent. While my responses to the repeated begging of my children for what I am currently in the process of getting for them degenerate from kind and comforting to varying levels of exasperation and exhaustion, His continue steady and true. "Yes, my child. I'm getting ____ for you."

But as the children, do we sometimes fail to realize that things take time? Just like chicken nuggets require time to cook before they're hot (and there really is no short cut for that), sometimes the things we've asked for take time. Ours, His, and just time in general.

Further, I think we often respond to what is being prepared or being presented to us in the same way that my kids approach dinner. "You're making what? I don't like that. I'm not going to eat that. That's disgusting." When, in reality, it's something that is healthy and good for us, that we would like if we would only try it, and which may take some getting used to, but at some future point we will not find disgusting.

Finally, as a parent, I really do feel my hungry child's pain. It's been a few hours since they ate and they are are hungry RIGHT NOW. As I'm hurriedly making their dinner, I wish like crazy it would go faster so they would be out of pain. But some things just take time. And if I cheat and give them a snack before dinner, they won't eat the dinner that is coming (and much better) for them. They'll miss out on what is the best for them, that they really do want. On some level, anyway.

So, the Lord's timing is not ours, but in the end, it is the best for us.
And for the time being, He really is making it - RIGHT NOW!