Needing to be Carried....

It was the second full day of school - second grade - and my daughter was refusing to walk to the car. "Carry me!" she insisted. I began the ever-famous "1-2-3" count before she lost her tv privileges that afternoon. Begrudgingly, she stomped to the car, and we began our day.

Returning home I was greeted by my Moms in Touch group. As a prayer request, I shared the story of the morning - be it transition or attitude or what, it needs changing.

The next morning, one of my prayer-partners texted me "I hope no one needed carrying today". I replied "nope. breakfast in bed works wonders." We joked a bit about the "princess treatment", and I wrote "we all need 'princess treatment' every so often".

It wasn't until I began to walk the dog, an hour later that the irony hit me. Yes, princess treatment is wonderful. God's graces and blessings certainly have helped bring difficult things to pass, and encouraged me to continue forward when I really just wanted to crawl back into bed and pull up the covers. It was the carrying part that got me.

We really do all need to be carried. Every day. I thought back to my discipline of my daughter, and how yes, she needs God (and sometimes mom) to carry her - but she also needs to learn to walk.

I thought of the times where I had asked God to "carry me", and felt like I got more of the "1-2-3" treatment. Should I carry my nearly eight year old daughter everywhere she wants to be carried? Absolutely not.

I'm sure at that moment of realization, God gave me "a smile and a wink". I hung my head, ashamed of the way I'd stomped through those times, but grateful for the knowledge that this too is forgiven.

Ah, my penitent heart, open before God once again.