But Why, God?

I'm a mother of a four year old. For the longest time, I would hear of moms going a little crazy when their little one would start asking the question, "why?" These moms had children who were two or three years old. My little guy never really asked that question at that age. I reasoned that he's a bright kid, and if he wanted to know why something happened, he would either try to discover the reason for himself, or eventually, he would ask, and be satisfied with my response.

Fast forward to now: I'm the mama going a little crazy with the incessant questions. "Why?"

"It's time for bed," I'll say.

"But, why?"

"You need to eat your dinner."

"Why?"

I started to hear the dreaded question more and more frequently. I would explain each reason to the best of my ability, trying really hard not to resort to "because I said so". Until one day, when I realized that "why?" doesn't actually mean "why?" As in, my four year old doesn't really care "why". In a lot of cases, I've discovered that it's a form of protest. As in, he doesn't want to go to bed. He doesn't want to eat dinner. He doesn't like the fact that we can't go to the park today. Why doesn't really matter.

Does any of that sound familiar to you? I know I've gone through seasons where the events are just so frustrating, that all I can say is "but why?!" Why do I have to deal with this? Why can't this person just do the right thing and stop bothering me? Why can't I just go out and buy whatever I want or feel like I need? Why does that family get to go on vacation, and we don't? Why, why, WHY?

The answers often elude me. But the fact is, I don't really want to know "why". I just want to escape the situation and get back to a place of comfort. In essence, I'm telling God "it shouldn't be this way. Fix it!"

The answer to the question "why" is usually something that my four-year-old wouldn't be able to truly comprehend or appreciate to the fullest extent- at least not now. In the same way, if God decided to tell me why, I'd probably be overwhelmed by the answer. It wouldn't make sense from where I'm standing right now. Just like we as parents have understanding that exceeds our children's, God's ways are infinitely higher than our ways.

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9

Have you (like me) ever been through a season where you asked the question every parent (including God) loves to hear?

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I Choose Joy