I'm Three Years Old, ya know

In my religion, we most often refer to God as our Heavenly Father. I love thinking of him as my parent -- particularly as I am a parent at this point in my life. It's endearing to realize that a lot of what I am going through raising children is also what God is going through as he raises me...

The other day, I was on a walk with my three year old, Reed. Frustrated with the glare in his eyes, he declared that he hates the sun. I pretended to be the sun, and sobbed, "Boo-hoo, Reed doesn't like me," to which Reed responded, "Mom, the sun doesn't talk."

"How do you know?" I asked him.

"Mom, I'm Three Years Old, ya know!"

How often do I respond to God that way? "C'mon God, I'm 37! Are you really trying to teach me something new?!"

Okay, okay, so Reed was right, in this case... the sun doesn't talk. BUT I wasn't really trying to convince him that it does. I was trying to get the point across that hating doesn't spread happy feelings, and that there are other, possibly more productive ways to deal with our frustrations -- like using the stroller's canopy to shade our eyes.

I hope I'll be more open to the lessons God, my Father in Heaven, wants to teach me. I know he wants me to learn things that will save me from a lot of frustration and anger. He wants me to have peace in my heart and enjoy the world around me -- the world that does, in its own sense, talk, and wants peace, too.