On Monday, after a romp in the snow, the children fixed hot chocolate. Wee Pete demanded that his brothers give him “the red cup,” and threw a fit when they tried to give him a different cup. I’ve been trying to help Peter understand how “sin makes you stupid” (thanks, Mark, for that splendid line), so I intervened. After disciplining him for throwing a fit, I went to the kitchen and surreptitiously emptied the red cup, then took it back and handed it to Peter. As he saw me coming, he had this big grin on his face (“Daddy is giving me what I want!! I am the center of the universe!”), but when he looked into the cup, and saw only a few drops of hot chocolate, his face fell.
He looked up at me, somewhat puzzled. I smiled at him:
“You said you wanted the red cup. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
He looked back down at the empty cup. I could see that he wasn’t sure how to answer. He did want the red cup — but not this way! He wanted a red cup full of warm, sweet, chocolate goodness!
I knelt beside him and said, “There’s a big difference between wanting a cup, and wanting something in the cup! Why don’t you go to your brother and ask him to forgive you for being selfish — and then ask him for some hot chocolate in any cup he wishes to give you.”
Robert, of course, had seen all of this, and so when the little guy reached the kitchen, he quickly forgave him, and then filled the red cup with chocolate (“I had already started drinking out of the other cup,” he explained).
Heavenly Father, grant us wisdom to seek first the kingdom of your Son — trusting that you will provide for all of our daily needs. Forgive us for lack of faith, and our persistent demands that you do things our way. Grant us the humility to trust that your way is best, and then grant us the wisdom and strength to walk in your way, denying ourselves, taking up our crosses, and following Jesus. Amen.
