Are We Going To See The Trains?

There is this cute little museum in the town where we live that my boys love to go to as often as we can. Not cause they’re into history or education or anything mature like that. They like to go for one reason…trains. The museum has this great electric train set that takes up one whole wall and for a quarter, four or five different trains will go back and forth on this great track for five whole minutes. This of course means that I have five minutes to sit down and check Facebook while they’re enthralled. It’s a win win really. Basically the only time I sit down during the day is if I’m driving somewhere so I love anything that can capture the attention my boys’ attention while I kick back. Who knew a museum could be so relaxing for a mama?!?

The other day I asked Bez if he wanted to go see the trains and of course he was beyond excited. I had other errands I needed to run and they were a good way to get the boys loaded up without a fight. I hooked them in their seats and headed to my first stop. The drive was one question over and over…”are we going to see the trains mom?” I wanted to go to the museum last because I needed to make sure I got everything else done and any mom knows you have to plan every excursion carefully. An errand at the wrong time can mess up meal times, nap times, potty breaks and about a million other things. And then there is the possibility that the boys will be mad when it’s time to leave, which would make running any other errands impossible. Bez of course didn’t understand any of this…all he knew is that mommy said we were going to see the trains and while we were making one stop after another, so far there hadn’t been one “choo-choo” in sight. He didn’t see the big picture, he didn’t see that if I didn’t make a few detours on the way to what I promised him we might not get to go at all. At every stop I got the question again…trains mommy? No matter how many times I assured him we were still going he was still concerned I was backing out on my promise.

How funny that I do this same thing to God when I find myself on a winding road to a promise that I thought would be a straight shot. I assume because He is leading me in a certain direction in my life that the destination is the next thing on the agenda, when in reality it’s often miles down the road.

So I get concerned that He will never take me to the places He’s promised me. I try to figure out how to get there myself. I ask Him over and over…”But aren’t we going to the trains?” “Didn’t you say I could…?” “I thought You were going to…” I would never promise Bez something just to get his hopes up when I have no intention of following through. I can be much more certain that God will follow through on His promises to me. The road may not be a straight shot, but the trip is guaranteed to make the fulfillment even more precious. I know I don’t see the big picture. I don’t see the necessity of the “errands” He takes me on while we’re on our way to the “trains”. I don’t know what He knows, the things I will learn and experience along the way. Sometimes I get much too impatient, disappointed, I feel hopeless.

Sometimes it feels like maybe I misunderstood, that while I thought God was leading me one way it was actually something much different…but all the sudden His plan comes to light and I realize all along it was much better than any I could have come up with on my own. I try to be a good mom, but I know that God is a much better Father than I am mother…and if I, “though I am evil, know how to give good gifts to my children, how much more will my Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11). If God has promised you something and you feel like you’ve been taking one detour after another…hang on. Enjoy the ride. And remember sometimes the errands are a necessity. He’s a good God. He’s a good friend. And He’s a good Father.

You’ll get to see the trains.