My Demanding Child

"Juice…… Juice….. Can I get the juice….. Can someone pass me the JUICE PLEASE… WHY IS NO-ONE GETTING ME THE JUICE"?? This scenario plays out probably 80% of meal times in our house. It’s always the same child. He has no patience and gets quickly frustrated. He can often be quite cheeky with it, as well, and it’s usually everyone else's fault, but his. I often blame the fact that he is child number 6. He picks up all 5 of his siblings bad

habits. Obviously It has nothing to do with the youngest child always being the spoiled one. I am the youngest, and I've always argued that not to be true, so I can’t start saying it now lol.

You’d think by now we would automatically pour him some juice as we sit down to eat dinner, but no, we haven’t quite worked that out yet. A table set for 8 is usually quite a busy table. It’s often funny to watch if any of the children have friends over for dinner. They initially look quite lost and shell shocked as they sit to eat with so many people. I remember, laughing with my friend, that her family gathering for Christmas dinner was my everyday dinner! Meal times here are usually spent catching up on the events of the day. Tomato sauce, salt, vinegar and juice are passed up and down the table. Don’t get me started on when we have fajitas!! Wraps, sour cream, salsa, chicken, cheese, salad and sauce all being passed back and forth between the 8 of us. Sometimes I feel like I’m just taking my first bite, when they are already finished and are ready for more. Usually, in the midst of all the initial chaos, that is when the little voice in the corner begins to make himself heard, in his usual demanding way!

Recently, I was reading the story of Samson. I’m sure, as a child, most people have heard that story. A man that God had promised great strength to, as long as he never cut his hair. However, he was eventually tricked by a woman into telling her his secret and she shaved his hair off and he became weak, resulting in his capture by his enemies. I think as children, we admire Samson and see him as a great man of God, but as I read the story again, I discovered he was quite demanding, and often behaved like a spoiled child. I was reading in Judges 15:18, when Samson killed all those men with the jawbone of a donkey and afterwards he cried out to God because he was thirsty. He didn’t ask for God's help and he didn't tell Him he needed Him, instead he was extremely rude and insinuated that God didn’t care about him. He had killed all those men for God and now he was so thirsty, was God just going to let him die? He sounds quite like my son, when he claims that everyone else is seeing to themselves, and no-one seems to care about him. As I read it, I turned to Calum and told him how rude I thought Samson was to God. How disrespectful. How childish he sounded!

As soon as I said those words I immediately realised that I can be a bit like that at times as well. It might not appear so obvious by my words, but how often do I just treat God as a lucky charm? How often do I only turn to Him when I need something from Him? I would be horrified if somebody pointed out this behaviour in me, but in reality, God knows what my relationship with Him is like. Like my demanding 6 year old son, am I just as demanding of God? What was my motive for spending time with God this morning? Was it just because I needed His help for the day ahead or was it because I really wanted to spend time with Him?

As a parent, you often find yourself in the middle of something, and a child appears wanting your attention. Quite often it’s because they looking for something. They want food (99.9% of the time it's this one!) They need help finding something, they want to know if they can get a new game or they are wondering what they can do today? However, occasionally they surprise me with a cuddle and a kiss just because they want to be near me. There is nothing more touching than when my demanding 6 year old, climbs up onto my knee to tell me he loves me and give me a quick kiss. My teenagers no longer climb on my knee neither are they eager to give me a kiss or a cuddle, but instead, sometimes they want to just sit with me, have a conversation and spend some time with me. Today, I needed out of the house for a few hours, for a change of scenery. I decided to do what most women love to do when they are needing distracted, I went shopping. One of my teenagers decided to join me. He was happy just to keep me company, of course he was after something in return, but agreed he would still have come even if he hadn't. It makes all the difference, to feel wanted and appreciated and that my purpose goes beyond that of just meeting their every demand. It is the same with God. He isn’t just there to meet my every request. He wishes me to spend time with Him, because I want to, not purely because of what I might get in return.

Bad news arrives on our doorstep, death or health problems, relationship issues or rebellious children, financial strains or job uncertainties. Perhaps it's not bad news but guidance you need. Big decisions need to be made, moving home, job interviews, marriage decisions. Our automatic reaction is to cry out to God, ask Him for help and guidance, and so we should. As a parent wants to be there for their child in difficult times so it is with our Heavenly Father. Sometimes we can have a bit of a cheeky reaction like Samson. It is easy to think that God has allowed this to happen to us and He is duty bound to help us through it. Or we might think that because we have asked God to guide us in big decisions then the decisions will work out in our favour. How often has this been my attitude towards God? God doesn't just want me when bad times arrive or when big decisions need to be made. God wants me ALL the time.

By grace God answered Samsons cry and gave him water for his thirst. By grace God hears our prayers and supports us and guides us. Maybe not the way we anticipated, but the way which He knows is best for us. God is a loving and gracious God but he wants more than just the emergency conversations and requests. He wants the everyday conversations too. He wants to be loved and appreciated for who He is, not because of what He can provide.