Years ago I was kneeling in church, holding baby Mary. She moved her head back and forth playfully, trying to get my attention. It made it difficult to see what was going on.
Frustrated, I bobbed my own head around, trying to see past her. And then, just as I thought I’d figured it out and my heart started to focus on the service, smash! Mary’s head crashed—hard—into my nose.
Tears of pain leapt to my eyes. In my heart I seethed, See, Lord? Now my children are even getting in the way of my worship!
An answer came back instantly, infinitely gentle. “No, Julia, you have it all wrong. Your children can never come between us. Don’t go around them to look for me; you need to find me through them.”
Oh. Yes. Of course.
It’s a common mistake: looking at difficulties as obstacles to devotion, rather than as paths on which we meet God. One red flag that we’re trying to stay faithful in spite of troubles instead of through them is when we notice that our prayers focus mainly on making problems go away.
The prayer that helps me get back on track is simple:
Lord, help me grow closer to you in this situation. You are more important than anything that can happen to me.
