Life’s so rough...

This is the first summer that I have been home with the boys all summer. I've probably mentioned that before, if I have, I apologize for repeating myself but it is a change when you're used to dropping them off with a daycare/school/sitter. Being with them all day long has it's challenges but it also has it's rewards. It reminds me of when they were babies and they would have a crying fit. I really wouldn't want to be around them in that moment because there was no pleasing them, but when they finally went to sleep I just wanted to continue cuddling them because I loved them so much.

Today, I took the boys to the park and walked the trail. It's a mile (maybe). Before we even started, they began complaining about how they did not want to walk the trail. They wanted to go straight to the playground. 
They had their plan, I had mine. Insert difficult moment.
As we walked, because I'm the parent and the can learn to accept the hierarchy of things like I had to, they complained about not going the way they wanted to go. After that they complained about it being too hot, too sunny, too long.
They told me how unfair it was that I was making them walk. They stopped walking a few times until they realized I wasn't going to stop walking and I wasn't going to give in to their complaining. (Just saying, parents, it wasn't easy, in fact it was REALLY REALLY hard not to simply drop to their level and say, 'Fine, you and your whining win')
Typically, they are good about walking and hiking but, you know, we all have our moments.
As we came to the last hill, leading up to the playground, my six-year-old had a meltdown. He's kind of a scrawny guy and certainly not as active as his five-year-old brother. He was crying that it was just too far and his legs couldn't do it.
It would have been easy to pick him up in that moment. It would have stopped the whining and made that last stretch a bit more enjoyable. Plus, it would have eliminated the few odd looks that came our direction. (Nothing to see here people, life lesson in session.)

I began explaining to him how walking more would build his muscles. It would make him stronger and the walk wouldn't be so hard. I went on to say maybe we should do it once every day just to build our muscles up. (They all thought that was a terrible idea, of course.)

However, this whole experience made me think of God. There must be times when he is so over my whining. Times when I am so excited for the end result (the fun playground) but so annoyed with the route he decides to get me there (the walk). I mean, come on, God, I can see the playground to the left, it's so obtainable. Why in the world do we have to take a right, go down a hill, up a hill, back down another hill, and then climb a ginormous mountain just to get there. None of that makes any sense. 
To which I'm sure he'd reply, "If we take your route, you won't build any muscles along the way."

God, thank you for loving me no matter how much I complain along the way. Holy Spirit, give me strength to walk better without complaining so much. Help me to recognize that you haven’t forgotten me, you’re simply helping me build up my muscles. Amen