We're used to raising boys. Having three boys, we evidently took for granted the indifference that surrounded our back to school shopping. Our boys don't care if their accessories match their clothes or if their wide ruled notebook cover is "cute with kittens".
Enter...our second grade daughter.
Lauren Elizabeth has begged all summer for a new backpack for school. She's had the same one since pre-school, because number one - it's a perfectly good backpack and number two, (see the above) we're used to boys who could care less about getting new backpacks.
If we got all four of them backpacks every year, by the time we hit high school, we could fill a closet, not to mention feed a country.
Needless to say, she's had the same one since she was four.
This Sunday was the night before her first day of school and she begged one last time for a new backpack. What she didn't realize, was that we found one on clearance and decided to surprise her with it. We kept it a secret and had her pack her things in her old backpack (because we're mean and horrible parents). Little did she know, her new one was hidden in our closet waiting for her to go to bed so we could switch it.
"Please, can't I get one? The backpack I have is for babies and I'm all grown up." She begged.
"Maybe later, sweetie, but not now."
She was crushed. Her tired eyes pleaded a little longer until she finally went to bed...heartbroken.
If only she'd realized, it was right in front of her - and this made me think - so often we know what we want. We're sure of the exact thing we're desperate for and quite often, it can be years in the making. We beg God. Plead. Cry and whine until we question why He won't give us what we know is precisely what we need.
What we don't realize, is His plan, His knowledge of our needs is far greater than what we can comprehend. He knows what's right for us and sometimes it's just around the corner even though we have absolutely no idea.
Yesterday morning was the first day of school. Lauren Elizabeth got ready with her brothers, brushed her teeth and came down the stairs.
Suddenly, she realized what was waiting for her as her eyes lit up and she screamed throughout the house that it was the "Best Day Ever".
It was a good reminder that if there's something we're struggling with or desperate for, we can rest assured, we're not alone. So many times people question why, when or how, but if we just have faith...quite often, God has our very own backpack right there, even sometimes right in front of us. Our job is to gain trust and understanding that His timing is far greater than ours... and He wants us to have the Best Days Ever, too.
Enter...our second grade daughter.
Lauren Elizabeth has begged all summer for a new backpack for school. She's had the same one since pre-school, because number one - it's a perfectly good backpack and number two, (see the above) we're used to boys who could care less about getting new backpacks.
If we got all four of them backpacks every year, by the time we hit high school, we could fill a closet, not to mention feed a country.
Needless to say, she's had the same one since she was four.
This Sunday was the night before her first day of school and she begged one last time for a new backpack. What she didn't realize, was that we found one on clearance and decided to surprise her with it. We kept it a secret and had her pack her things in her old backpack (because we're mean and horrible parents). Little did she know, her new one was hidden in our closet waiting for her to go to bed so we could switch it.
"Please, can't I get one? The backpack I have is for babies and I'm all grown up." She begged.
"Maybe later, sweetie, but not now."
She was crushed. Her tired eyes pleaded a little longer until she finally went to bed...heartbroken.
If only she'd realized, it was right in front of her - and this made me think - so often we know what we want. We're sure of the exact thing we're desperate for and quite often, it can be years in the making. We beg God. Plead. Cry and whine until we question why He won't give us what we know is precisely what we need.
What we don't realize, is His plan, His knowledge of our needs is far greater than what we can comprehend. He knows what's right for us and sometimes it's just around the corner even though we have absolutely no idea.
Yesterday morning was the first day of school. Lauren Elizabeth got ready with her brothers, brushed her teeth and came down the stairs.
Suddenly, she realized what was waiting for her as her eyes lit up and she screamed throughout the house that it was the "Best Day Ever".
It was a good reminder that if there's something we're struggling with or desperate for, we can rest assured, we're not alone. So many times people question why, when or how, but if we just have faith...quite often, God has our very own backpack right there, even sometimes right in front of us. Our job is to gain trust and understanding that His timing is far greater than ours... and He wants us to have the Best Days Ever, too.
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