from the mouths of children

it is amazing what you can learn by simply listening to children.  a truth that is in no way novel or groundbreaking.  all the same, i have to say that i was caught off guard by what i learned from the mouths of 2 children this past week.

my oldest niece and her younger brother (number 2 of my 4 nephews) came down to visit their uncle alex and aunt sandy for a few days.  it was so much fun to have them here and to be able to spend some quality time with the two of them on our own turf.

but here’s the kicker…  those two are beggars.  begging for ice cream when we are ordering lunch, begging for toys when we are driving by wal-mart, one begging for mcdonalds at every meal and the other begging for anything else… except what i was suggesting, begging to stay up late, begging not to have to go home, begging to help pick blackberries, begging not to have to eat the black berries, and on and on and on.  i got so fed up with only hearing this begging.

now they have gone home.  and now i think about my begging.  i beg God for good health for my loved ones.  i beg God for a good day.  i beg God for strength.  i beg God for wisdom.  i beg God for burdens to be lifted.  i beg God for temptation to be taken away.  i beg God for comfort for those who are so close to me living with grief and loss.  i beg God for my own comfort in loss.  i beg and i bed and i beg.  oh, we don’t call it that.  we say that we are asking.  only when we are desperate do we call it begging.

but here is my point.  when all my niece and nephew do is beg, i get tired of it.  i need more interaction from them than just for them to be asking for things from me.  i need them to tell me that they love me, that they appreciate what i do give them.  i need them to tell me how their day went.  i need them to tell me stories of their favorite toy.  i need awe and wonder and life and joy.  i need them to cry and ask me to hold them when they are hurting.  i need so much more than the begging.

so does God.  when our prayer life comes to the point where it is nothing more than a cosmic wish list or a giant string of wants, needs, favors, … when it is reduced to only begging (only asking) then we do God a huge disservice.  and after all that he has given without our even asking or knowing to ask, shouldn’t we be a little more thankful?  shouldn’t we be able to find something else to consume our time with God than to just ask for more?