Naps and God

Getting Tres to take his afternoon nap has been quite a challenge the last few days. Certainly, as a mature two year old, he hates to think he is missing anything exciting, so he fusses and whines, howls and stamps his little feet. I am still the mommy, however, and meanie that I am, I insist that he will nap. He still needs to nap (which is obvious with all the aforementioned fussing, whining and feet stamping), but he most definitely does not want to nap.

So I go about our bed-time ritual without him. I start the music and light machine, I sit in the rocking chair and I just wait for him. I rock and close my eyes while he argues and protests the whole event.

Within a minute or two, he almost always gives up the protest and comes quietly to my lap. I wipe away any tears and he snuggles in for some cuddling before bed. It is such a sweet moment. Not because I've "won" and not just because he is sleepy and worn out, but because it makes me more aware of our relationship with God.

How often are we insistent that we know what we want and what we need? We fuss and argue. We complain and rally against the world around us. Meanwhile, all along, God is a constant just waiting for us to settle down and get what we truly need. If we stopped arguing for a few minutes, stopped trying to control everything we might find out that there is a warm and cozy spot where we can rest. After a while, we may even find that if we do what God wants and asks of us, we are better rested and happier than we could have ever imagined. Just like Tres is after his nap.

Parenting truly does give a different perspective to daily life, naps and all.