Crying in the Carseat

So, our daughter HATES the carseat. I mean HATES. IT. With every fiber of her tiny little being.

I know, I know, "But most babies love the carseat!"

Not mine.

She screams bloody murder the whole time. We're talking the kind of ear-buzzing screams where you can hear her throat tearing to shreds. She screams until she chokes herself, which only makes her more upset. I have seen a fair number of tantrums and crying babies in my life, and have never seen anything like this.

The craziest part is the way she stares at you while she's throwing these fits. It kind of proves to me that there's really nothing wrong, she's just mad. I will often sit in the back seat next to her in a futile attempt to calm her. The only response I get for my efforts is a tearful, accusing glare. I can almost understand the message behind her shrieks:

"How can you just sit there?!?! Can't you hear me?!?! You have the power to free me from this torture and you sit idly by doing nothing!!! How can you say you love me, how can you say you have compassion on me and yet leave me here to suffer?!?!"

I can only respond to these questions as any responsible, loving parent would:

"Oh, child, if only you knew why you were here. You can't understand it yet, but this is the safest and best place for you to be right now. If I were to give you what you wanted, there is no telling what heartbreak would come. I do this because I love you, because I want the best for you, and because I couldn't bear to see you hurt. You are my treasure, and I have pledged to protect you with my life. If you would only trust me, everything will be all right."

It was during one of these "moments" with my daughter that I realized how very similar we are. How often do I react to prolonged hardships in my life by crying out to God:

"How can you just sit there?!?! Can't you hear me?!?! You have the power to free me from this torture and you sit idly by, doing nothing!!! How can you say you love me, how can you say you have compassion on me and leave me here to suffer?!?!"

And my Heavenly Father, as THE responsible, loving Parent always responds:

"Oh, child, if only you knew why you were here. You can't understand it yet, but this is the safest and best place for you to be right now. If I were to give you what you wanted, there is no telling what heartbreak would come. I do this because I love you, because I want the best for you, and because I couldn't bear to see you hurt. You are my treasure, and I have pledged to protect you with my life. If you would only trust me, everything will be all right."

"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' ... for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." Matthew 6:31-32 (emphasis added)

"Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" Matthew 7:9-11

"Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow." James 1:17

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

"For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

Our heavenly Father knows what we need and always has our best interests in mind. We can be certain of that! When we find ourselves frustrated or angry at our circumstances, the reason can be boiled down to our refusal to believe that a perfectly loving, all-powerful God is in control of the world and of our lives. In the words of theologian Addison Leitch: "All our problems are theological ones." When we understand God's character, we can be confident that His will for our lives is better than ours, and allow it to be carried out, even if it doesn't make sense to us in our limited perspective.

"Trust and obey, for there's no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

-John H. Sammis

A precious and exceedingly RARE moment of peace, the day we brought our tiny girl home from the hospital!