Letting Go...

Watching kids play and interact is such an enlightening adventure, you really can learn a lot about basic human nature while standing by as a witness at Pop-In Preschool Playtime at Pump It Up.  We were there just this morning and while most of the other moms were chatting, I was following behind Nate and keeping a close eye on Mae.  Basically, I was one of the only "grown-ups" close enough to see the following scenario: 

A little boy was cruising around in one of those little red coupe cars that just about every preschooler has in the garage at home.  He parked right next to the ramp of the 20-foot inflatable slide and started to get out to climp up its ladder.  Then he spotted Mae who was carefully eying his joy-ride coupe.  He froze immediately and Mae just kept staring, waiting for him to leave the car behind so he could climp up and enjoy the thrill of the slide (which no preschooler I know has at home). She was waiting for a turn in the car (which we have at Grammie and Grampy's house).  The stare-down lasted for few long minutes until the little boy decided it wasn't worth the risk of loosing his Little Tykes ride.  He jumped back in and Mae ran off to find something more interesting (and available) to do. 
A thought crossed my mind (because I think much too deeply sometimes) about how we respond to God's blessings.  Sometimes we don't want to let go of the ordinary in order for Him to grant us the joy of the extraordinary.  We want to hold on to what is comfortable, what we know is safe and under our control.  When God is standing, waiting and probably staring at us wondering when we're going to let go of that so he can bless us beyond our imagination.  It would be impossible for that little boy to have carried that little car up the slide with him, and the ride down would've been painful had he tried to hold onto it if he got to the top.  But to let go and climb up with trust would've created so much more joy than a ride in that little car could ever offer.
During Christmas, I looked closer at Luke's account of  Elizabeth, Zacharias & John the Baptist.  The lack of faith Zacharias had when the angel announced that Elizabeth would deliver a son caused him to remain mute until John the Baptist was 8 days old.

59 So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. 60 His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.”

61 But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.

63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. 65 Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him

I think I'll continue to study God's extrordinary work in ordinary lives.  And how those blessing are contingent upon living "by faith."  Hebrews 11 is a good place to start...