I sat at basketball practice for my youngest son the other night
and with all the commotion going on in the gymnasium with two different
teams practicing on both ends of the court...it was kinda crazy.
But a man sat a few bleachers in
front of me near the gym floor. A cute little girl was playing with a
basketball in front of him bouncing it on the floor. I noticed her and
thought she was adorable. (I always wanted a girl but God gave me 3 boys
instead!)
I watched her bounce the ball
and lose it then chase after it again several times. All the while the room
was full of basketball practice noises like bouncing balls, squealing
children, yelling adults, a radio?? Very loud and annoying. However, the
little girl practiced bouncing the ball and finally felt confident enough
in her new skills to seek her father's attention...
"Daddy, watch this!"
She bounced the ball and yelled.
I watched as his attention was
taken away to one end of the court so she attempted again to gain his
attention, "Daddy, watch this!" He turned to the other end of
the court seemingly unaware of his little girl's desire to show off her new
ability.
"Daddy, watch this!"
She bounced and yelled again. He looked everywhere around the
bustling gymnasium except at his daughter.
To my amazement, she was
persistent in her requests and yelled at him 2 more times to watch her.
He continued to look around and
finally glanced his daughters way long enough to let her know they were
leaving as his older son came across the court finished with his practice.
Did he even notice she'd gained
some control over the basketball? Did he hear any of her 5
pleas? Did he acknowledge her at all after they left practice to let
her know he'd seen her bouncing the ball and that she had done great?
I have no idea. I'm sure
he was just distracted by the business of basketball practice and all the
activity and noise in the gymnasium. I'm sure he's a wonderful
father. (Maybe...lol)
But I couldn't help but think of
our Heavenly Father. How we plead for His attention at times. ♡ And we don't seem to get it. We beg for help in a
terrible situation and wait expectantly for His answer or solution. We
continue to ask repeatedly, "Father, watch! Father, look at this
mess! Father, help me. Father, help me. Daddy, help
me."
It seems to us as we go through
the days with no visible response that He is not listening to our pleas. It
seems to us that He is not paying attention to our needs. It seems like He
doesn't care what a mess we are in. It seems to us that He doesn't love us
anymore. If He did then He would listen and give us the attention we need
or solve our problem quickly so we don't have to suffer anymore.
But with our Father, He is
ALWAYS listening. We ALWAYS have His attention. He ALWAYS
notices when we master a new skill in life. He LOVES us
unconditionally. He will never leave us or forsake us. When it seems
any other way, it's not true. We may not see that He is giving us attention
or listening to our pleas but He is.
When the time is right to know
that He is listening and working out every problem for our good, we will
know. Then we will be more confident in His love for us than ever before.
When that time comes and you see just how much your Father has loved you
through your desperate pleas, it's quite wonderful. You will KNOW He has
listened to your every prayer whether you yelled, "Daddy, watch
this!" Or whispered, "Father, help me."
So, plead for His attention and
beg for an answer to a problem in life but KNOW He will answer when the
time is right. Trust that His answer is the right one and thank Him for
loving you so much.
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