A Gentle Whisper

One of my youngest students is an absolute pistol and incredibly adorable. Her mother works for JT and so is often in the classroom with me. She speaks no English, but her two and a half year old daughter is so bossy and so independent that mom and I will often exchange glances from across the room - hers a look of helpless surrender to her daughter's personality, and mine of complete amusement. Without a doubt, she's the most active in the class and has, on occasion, had to be reminded that I'm the teacher, not her. Regardless, this little one has my heart. She is precious. And today she gave me a precious moment. 

I made her mad by not letting her do what she wanted and telling her to go play. When she finally understood what I was telling her, she went to the other side of the room and proceeded to pout the most pathetic pout a manipulative, little girl could produce and refused to come to me when I called. Twice today we had a stand-off of wills. I will always win. Nevertheless, I couldn't have this little one upset with me over something she simply needed to be patient and wait for. After a few minutes she had found something else to occupy her attention but she still wasn't responding to my calls, so when she got within my reach, I pulled her close and in her own language (go me, I can speak Mandarin on a two year old level!) told her that I loved her. 
This little one, who wouldn't even look at me seconds before, melted into my arms in the sweetest hug and then all was well again. 

This moment was precious to me and it's moments like these that make me love what I do. As I reflected on it this evening, I saw another connection that you may have already picked up on....
How often do we walk away pouting when things don't go the way we want them to? It may not be a literal or even an obvious pout. Perhaps we just stop paying attention to the Teacher. Ignoring His calls, we find other things to keep our attention. Whatever our reaction may be, we refuse to acknowledge Him when He calls until finally we find ourselves in a moment when we're locked in His embrace. And here we have two choices: we can continue to hold on to the hurt and anger or we can listen to the gentle voice of God whisper "I love you."

Much like me today, His plans are not to deprive us of what we want, He just wants us to wait patiently until He's ready for us. When I was ready for her, she and I did what she wanted and we both had a great time together. 

I don't know who's reading this, or what you're going through today. I do know that the Father loves you unconditionally. Trust that His love seeks to give you the very best.