“You just don’t want me to have any fun!” “This isn’t going to help me.” “Why do I have to do this?”

Kids tend to dislike discipline and balk at our parental instruction and guidance. It’s human nature. The value of learning responsibility by cleaning their room is missed, as in their minds it translates to missing out on more free time to play. Consequences aren’t seen as necessary lessons, but punishment for the sake of punishment.

I remember as a child hearing my parents say, “This will hurt me more than it will hurt you,” and thinking I don’t think so! Or “This is for your own good.” Says who?

Children cannot fully understand the reasons for our parenting choices … that is until they become parents. Their minds struggle to grasp the idea that it is for their benefit and growth. Instead they complain of the unfairness.

At times, I see myself viewing life from a child’s perspective when it comes to my relationship with God. He lacks full explanations. He works rather slow at times. His path is sketchy. His ways are a bit quirky. And life doesn’t always feel fair.

I don’t always readily see the value of walking a dimly lit path searching for something I can’t quite put my finger on. I haven’t read yet Donald Miller’s book, Searching for God knows what, but I love the title. We all are on a journey searching for something … but we don’t always know what that is. Maybe God hasn’t lit the path clearly yet, or that we’re just beginning the discovery of what is missing.

When it comes right down to it, I realize that to not see what’s ahead is to understand what is most important. The final destination should not be the focus. What I learn along the way is key. God’s faint path may not provide future clarity, but it develops growth in me when I rely on Him for guidance.

So the next time our children grumble from a perspective so different from ours, sneak a quick look at our own perception of God at work in us.