The heat from the blazing South Florida sunlight beat down into the sidewalk then radiated up through my flip-flops and started to burn my feet. So, I moved to join my sister-in-law, *D, who stood on the cooler grass. We heard neighborhood children playing and laughing from a distance. A sudden warm breeze carried the scent of the neighbor’s freshly cut grass and I turned towards their house. But as D giggled, I looked back at the sidewalk in front of us.
“I’m telling you; this is going to work. Just put enough pillows behind his back.” Mom was talking to my brother, R, about my twenty-two-month-old nephew, C.
R chuckled, “This is ridiculous! His feet can’t even reach the pedal, and he’s falling sideways!”
Mom was insistent, “We just need more pillows! D, or Deanna, can you get us more pillows?”
I shook my head and said, “I’m sorry Mom, but I’m with R on this one.” I laughed again at the sight of little C tilting to one side in the battery-powered car.
Mom doted on C, because he was the firstborn grandchild. She often spoiled him with treats and gifts. That Saturday when Mom arrived, she called us all out to her open car trunk. “Look what I bought for C!” We looked down at a kid-sized rechargeable blue Ferrari.
Mom wasn’t about to give up. “R, reach down and push the pedal, then run alongside the car so C can steer it.”
“Sure Mom; I’ll give it a try.” We could tell by the look on R’s face that he didn’t want to do this, but he humored Mom.
R repositioned C in the sea of pillows. Then he bent over and pushed the pedal with his hand to move the little car forward. Because C couldn’t steer, the car zigzagged down the sidewalk as R ran alongside it. C again toppled towards the seat of the car.
As we convulsed with laughter, Mom finally admitted, “Well, maybe he is too young to drive this car.”
Many months later, after C had grown older and taller, we were out front again. C drove his little blue car up and down the sidewalk. He turned corners, parked in the driveway, then backed out again with precision. Each time he passed us, he waved, smiled, and said, “Look at me, I’m driving!” At one point, Mom said, “See, I knew this was going to be a good gift for C.”
I replied, “Yes Mom, it was a good gift, but bad timing!”
Later I was thinking about God’s gifts to us and His timing. James 1:17a says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.” There were times I asked God for something then grew frustrated when He didn’t provide it in the way or timing I expected. Other times, I rushed to spend money on something I wanted, but later regretted the purchase and the wasted money. I have sometimes drawn back in fear, when I sensed the Lord wanted me to push forward to be able to receive something new from Him.
When Mom gave C the car, he didn’t yet have the physical and mental abilities to correctly use it. Only God knows when we are ready for a certain blessing. There are things the Lord wants to bless us with, but in His way and time. While He does some things sooner than we expect, we often need to exercise patience. As we wait, we can trust that He will bless us with His good gifts in His good time.
Related Scriptures
- Ecclesiastes 3:11a “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”
- James 1:17a “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.”
Application Questions
- What God-given gifts do you value most, and how have you thanked Him for those gifts?
- Think of a time you didn’t wait for God’s timing, but leapt forward. Then think of a time you did wait for the Lord’s timing. In both cases, what did you learn?
*Initials were used in place of names to protect identities.
Wonderful story, I can truly picture that scene playing out:). That’s a great analogy for how often we don’t wait for God’s perfect timing but instead rush ahead. Thank you for those insights and Scriptures!!