What Toddlers Taught Me About Trusting God
“I got it. I got it.”
Those are the words echoing through our home like a broken record these last few weeks.
Toddlers think they can do everything by themselves… until they can’t.
Put their coat on — “I got it.” Put their pajamas on — “I got it.” Brush their teeth — “I got it.” Buckle them into their car seat — “I got it.”
And their response after that confident declaration is always one of three:
- They get it, and proudly announce, “I did it!”
- They can’t get it, and reluctantly ask, “Please help me?”
- Or they get frustrated and fall apart because they can’t get it, or because we stepped in to help.
I’ll let you guess which one happens most.
Watching toddlers stubbornly insist on their independence, even when help is right there and readily available, makes me stop and think… How often are we guilty of the very same thing with our Heavenly Father?
A challenge arises. A task needs done. A problem must be solved. And our first response isn’t patience, or prayer, or trust, it’s “I got it. I got it.”
Like a toddler pushing away the helping hands of a loving parent, we quickly, sometimes without even realizing it, push aside the loving hands of our Heavenly Father, who is eagerly standing by, ready to help, to make our yoke easy and our burden light (Matthew 11:30).
“Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.” -1 Peter 5:7
As the old hymn writer once penned:
Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer.
In the moments when our toddlers reach the end of their rope and realize they need help, sometimes they just get louder… “I GOT IT!”… digging in their heels even deeper.
But other times, they soften, and quietly say, “Please help me?”
This picture plays out all throughout Scripture, repeated across generations: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
Our pride results in “needless pain” we bear.
Our humility results in “peace” we often forfeit.
God desires that we come to Him humbly, like little children, bringing Him our every need, ready to rely on His goodness, and His grace.
And when we do, He promises: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” -Jeremiah 33:3
How many times do we settle for our best instead of God’s? We don’t call. We don’t trust. We don’t ask. Even though there’s “a very present help” ready and waiting. (Psalm 46:1)
Why? Because “we got it… all by ourselves.”
Whatever you’re facing today: a parenting challenge, a relational struggle, a heavy burden you’re carrying, turn it over to Him. “He’s got it.”
Prayer: Lord, help me today to humble myself as a little child, coming to the end of myself, and acknowledge my daily need of You in every area of my life. Amen.
Andrew Linder is a husband, the father of four awesome kids, and a children’s pastor at a thriving church. He is the founder of GodlyParent.com and is passionate about intentional parenting and helping other parents and leaders effectively reach the next generation. He is also the author of the new book, Godly Parenting In An Ungodly World: How to raise not just good but godly kids through heart-driven grace-based parenting.
Featured Image by Stephen Andrews from pexels.com.
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