I Told You So

We have a rule in our house – do not leave a bedroom without shoes on!  No, we have nothing against going barefoot, but our house is not conducive to barefoot walking.  Once upon a time, I’m sure this was a lovely house.  But, thanks to the owner living five hours away and the real estate agency letting it get run-down, it is literally falling apart around us now.  The floors are among the lesser of the problems, but they are still a major problem.  In the living room, dining room, and hall, the beautiful hardwood flooring has buckled from multiple incidents of overflowed plumbing.  So, there are many places for toes to be stumped and feet to be pinched.  We are praying for the opportunity to live in a house that is safer for our children, but until then, the shoe rule will be enforced.

And so, we come to Tuesday night.  Tuesday night is bath night (yes, I’m one of those horrible parents who does not bathe her children every night.  Go ahead and gasp – it’s okay!).  The kids all bathed while hubby and I fixed supper.  Then I went to help my son get out of the tub and get dressed.  Meanwhile, as I sat in his room helping him into his pajamas, his big sisters were in and out multiple times asking for help with this or that.  As I was helping my oldest adjust the straps on her pajama top, I told my son to get his houseshoes from his closet.  Instead, he raced from the room barefoot.  I called him back in and instructed him to stay in the bedroom until he had houseshoes on his feet.  He raced out again.  He came back in and I grabbed hold of him, stopped him, and reminded him firmly that he was expected to obey me and that he was going to hurt his feet.  As soon as I let go of him to send him to the closet, he raced into the hall again.  This time, however, he pinched his foot.

Yep, I did it.  I said, “I told you so!”  This time, though, he obeyed me, went to get his houseshoes, and did not leave the room until they were firmly on his feet.

One of these days you’d think our children would learn that maybe – just maybe – we know what we are talking about!  Maybe we have a reason for our rules!  Sometimes we even share those reasons with them, as in our situation with the floor.  I wonder if they will ever accept that truth!

Could it be that God is the same way?  Could it be that He really and truly knows what He’s talking about and that, whether He gives us a reason or not, His path is truly best for us?  And yet how many times do we say, “Oh, it will be alright this time.  Hey, look at that!  It was fine…I can do it again, and I’ll still be able to correct myself before I get hurt.”  I don’t know about you, but in my life such thinking always ends up with me getting hurt at some point along the path.

God knows best, and His ways are so much more perfect than mine as an earthly parent.  Maybe, just maybe, as I grow I will learn more and more to heed His wisdom and follow His plan.