A young father came into a local sandwich shop with his adorable blonde, curly headed little toddler. As they ordered their food, you could tell they had a sweet, special relationship. This daddy loved his little girl and she loved him.
The little girl had ordered her kid’s meal and now it was time for her to wander over to the cooler and choose her drink. She pulled out a white milk and brought it to her daddy who was paying. He looked at her choice of beverage, then with a whispered “one second” to the little girl, he finished paying the bill.
As he grabbed his other items, he gently took his little girl’s hand and walked her back to the cooler. He took the white milk from her little hands and with a twinkle in his eye he said, “I know that’s what you think you want, but I know what you really want.” He place the white milk back on the shelf and grabbed a strawberry milk.
“Here! Strawberry milk! You love strawberry milk.”
He placed the bottle into her ungrateful hands as she let out a “NO!”
But her daddy loved her too much to give her what she thought she wanted. They walked out of the shop — the father carrying the upset little girl and the little girl carrying her “unwanted” strawberry milk.
Now, I don’t know what happened when they got home, but my guess is that if she actually calmed down enough to drink the strawberry milk her daddy picked for her, she thoroughly enjoyed it because like her daddy said that’s what she really loved. Isn’t it funny? She was so sure she knew what she loved and wanted that she wouldn’t even trust the one who obviously loved her — the one that knew her better than she knew herself.
Now, someday that daddy probably won’t know EVERYTHING exactly how his daughter really loves it. He’ll fail her somewhere along the way. But your heavenly Father NEVER will fail you. He always knows your heart’s desire because He’s the One Who created you and put it there.
So when God takes your “white milk” and hands you a strawberry, don’t say “NO”; say “thanks” in faith realizing that strawberry must be what you REALLY want and need! In the end, you’ll see clearly that it was!
Summer Rains grew up at Falls Baptist Church, where she currently works as a high school english/drama teacher and serves alongside her husband, David, who leads the church’s youth ministry. She traveled several times with Minutemen Ministries as a team member.