Sippy Cups and Clay
Written by Rebekah Barrett
I am a wife, mother of two little boys, full-time Nurse Practitioner, and more recently, a writer. From within these diverse roles, I’ve had to face the fact that I can’t do any part of this life—even this ordinary life of work, relationships, and kids—on my own. God has preeminently used my motherhood journey to humble me, and I’ve come to realize (often the hard way) just how much I need Him daily in every aspect of my life.
God has been using the most unpretentious sources, like children’s books or simple objects, to teach me the lessons I need for personal growth in this season. It’s comical that as I strive and pray for spiritual growth and maturity, He has been continually taking me back to the basics, in a childlike, stepwise way.
I realize I’m being like my four-year-old, who continually talks about all the amazing things he will do and have when he is a grown-up. However, at this point in his life, he doesn’t yet consistently remember to properly wipe his bottom and wash his hands after using the toilet! He has no insight to know that unless I can trust him to do the basics consistently without being reminded or hounded, he won’t be able to step into all the wonderful dreams waiting for him. So, I picture my Abba thinking and saying the same to me: “Bek, you can dream and pray about all kinds of grand things, but first you have to get the basics down pat.”
…with all my striving for spiritual growth and maturity, I’m still learning the basics: Humility. Gratitude. Trust.
From that humble position, the Holy Spirit spoke to me the other day through my son’s sippy cup. Yes, you read that correctly! My profound spiritual truth for the week came from a sippy cup.
At some point in the day, my toddler said he was thirsty and asked for some water. When I brought it to him in his brand new, colorful, non-spill sippy cup, he had a sour look on his face. Immediately he complained that it wasn’t in the specific cup that he wanted at that moment. I gently explained that we would be going outside soon and that he would need a non-spill container to bring along. Nope, that didn’t satisfy him. He was disappointed and just kept complaining that he wanted the other cup. He didn’t even say thank you. He didn’t understand that I knew the plans for our day, and I knew what he would need.
Why couldn’t he just be polite and listen and trust that I knew what he needed? Feeling indignant, I chastised his bad behavior and attitude and insisted he say thank you and apologize.
While I was still in the middle of my disciplinarian huff, I heard the Holy Spirit’s still small voice so clearly: “That’s how you act when I answer your prayers differently than you want or expect. Just like your son, you have to learn to trust that I know what’s coming and what is best for you. Trust that I know what you need, not just what you want. Trust that I know and will give you what you need. Accept it with gratitude. Then I can help you avoid the messes that would most certainly occur if I only gave you what you want.”
What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ‘Stop, you’re doing it wrong!’ Does the pot exclaim, ‘How clumsy can you be?’ (Isaiah 45:9 NLT)
In many ways, I’m still a four-year-old. I still make requests of my Heavenly Father and then throw a little fit if I don’t get what I want, or He doesn’t do it how I pictured. Thus, with all my striving for spiritual growth and maturity, I’m still learning the basics: Humility. Gratitude. Trust.
Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8 NIV)
Have your prayers been answered in unexpected ways? How did you respond? Let’s ask God to help us trust that He is a good Father, who knows our needs and hears our prayers before we even ask Him. Let’s pray to increase our faith that He loves us and knows what is best for us and those we love, and help us to accept His grace and provision with gratitude.
*Excerpt from Heart Shift and Motherhood: Finding God’s Extra in the Ordinary by Rebekah M. Barrett
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