Peanut Butter Jelly Time

Within the last few weeks, I've had my oldest son make his own lunches for the week. He decides what he eats. He assigns a lunch box to each weekday. He's even accompanied me to the store and learned some budgeting tips.  It's all a big deal to him.

He's very meticulous about it. He calculates how many Capri Suns we have to see if he needs to open a new box. He checks each lunch box to make sure it has a fruit snack and a bottled water. He asks his brother to help him so that he can go "more faster".

Trying to allow him to feel a sense of independence and accomplishment, I hang in the background doing other kitchen chores. However, once he's done, I go and check each lunch box, and he's none the wiser. I decrease the  amount of chips in the overloaded baggies. I add an apple to the lunch boxes with only 1 fruit and no veggies. I wipe the jelly off my phone and the peanut butter off the drawer handles. I put the twist tie back on the bread...tightly. And every now and then, I slip a note in a random box just to remind him of my love.

God allows us the freedom of choice every day. He allows us to make "big deal" decisions for our lives and, at times, even the lives of others. We do our best and we feel accomplished. We beam with pride and stick our chests out. However, sometimes, we leave a mess behind. We do too much or too little, yet count it all joy. We compromise; we skimp; we hoard; we simply screw up!

But we serve a God who lovingly comes behind and cleans up our messes. He wipes clean our hearts. He removes all guilt and stain. He keeps us from being fired, from going bankrupt, from losing our significant other, from saying the wrong thing at the wrong time...from so much that we have no idea how much He's really doing to keep us together. While we really think we are doing something, God is hanging in the background waiting for us to get out of His way so he can right our wrongs, fix our blunders, clean up our child - like mess. I don't know about you, but I'm grateful to have the kind of daddy who lets me do me, even when it's not right all the time. The kind of daddy who takes care of me and let's me grow more and more independent under his watchful eye and gentle guidance. The kind of daddy to even leave me notes to remind me of His promises and His love. Be grateful. Be Blessed. XOXO