A Little At A Time

Over the past few years, there have been many, many times that I have prayed that God would show me His plan for me. Some of those prayers came at times when I had no direction…had no idea where I was headed or how I was going to get there. The prayers and pleadings with the Lord to show me even part of His plan for me came out of desperation and a need to know that I was, in fact, headed somewhere of significance. It was a search for meaning.

Some of those prayers, though, have come at times when I could feel God’s hand on me, leading me and guiding me and using me. Those prayers came from a joyful heart, excited that He was moving me and eager to see His bigger picture. “Just give me a glimpse, Lord,” I would pray. “Just one little glimpse of where we’re going together.”

We’ve all heard, though, that the Lord won’t give us more than we can handle. I’ve said that to people. I’ve also heard that God won’t show us all of His plans at once because it would be far more than our minds can wrap around. On Christmas morning, God gave me an illustration I could understand, and while I didn’t get the answer to my prayers I was looking for, I now have something to go back to when my heart again begins to yearn for a glimpse of the bigger picture.

On Christmas morning, it became obvious really quickly that it was all just too much for Leah. She was well-behaved, of course, but she was clearly overwhelmed by all of the things we were thrusting at her and letting her open. She would open something, play with it for a minute, and then run back to her older, more familiar things in her toy corner. Occasionally, she’d stick with one of her new things for awhile, ignoring everything else; usually, though, she’d get kind of a glazed-over look in her eyes and zone out. It was just too much, and she just couldn’t process it all.

Because of that, we still have a little stack of gifts that she hasn’t opened. They’re still sitting under the tree and waiting for a time when she is ready for them and can appreciate them better. It may take a few days, but that’s all right.

As I thought about the way that Scott and I had pulled some of her gifts back for her to open later, I realized the parallel between that and what God does with us. He blesses us, for sure, but He knows us too well to heap everything on us at once. He knows that as wonderful as His plans are, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate or process everything at once. He holds things back, not revealing them to us until the proper time, in order to keep us on track and focused on the moment.

I, for one, am thankful for His wisdom in His care for us. He knows me better than I know myself, and while He would never withhold blessings from me, He times them and distributes them so as to maximize their effect in my life. He’s smarter than me, and I’m learning to trust His plans….even if I can’t see all of them at one time.

“Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” (Habakkuk 1:5)