Toddler-ish Prayers

My precious two-year-old is at the difficult stage of learning how to express what she wants, but not knowing how to hear the word "No" gracefully.  It's challenging for us as parents.  There are many times she resorts to full-fledged tantrums to try to get her way.  If you're a parent of a child age three or above, you've been there too.


Here is a window into our 2:00 a.m. interactions with her last night.


First, she wanted apple juice.  We don't let her take juice to bed, however, we give her a sippy cup of water in bed every night.  At 2 a.m. she wanted juice.  "I want juice."  No, I have given you water.  "I want juice!"  No.  "I WANT JUICE!"  No, you have water.  You can have juice in the morning.  "I WANT JUICE!!!"  Her volume increased with each statement, until she was absolutely screaming her desire over and over.  And the tantrum was in full swing.


As she was screaming about juice, we had to do the next thing that was good for her: putting her back in bed.  "Don't put me back in bed."  It's time to go to bed.  "Don't put me back in bed!"  She stopped waiting for any responses, but just kept repeating, ever more loudly, "DON'T PUT ME BACK IN BED!!!"  Her repetitive, plaintive cries and screams continued for quite a long time after she was already tucked in.


As I was wide awake listening to her, reviewing these interactions in my head, I thought about some of my own prayers and pleas to God.


Sometimes I can be so fixated on what I want (like apple juice) that I miss the fact that He has given me something good (like water) that meets my needs most wonderfully.  I might be so busy lamenting the fact that I don't have apple juice that I fail to enjoy the blessing of the water.  Or I might miss that the Lord has not told me "No," but "Wait until the right time."  Waiting is hard, but the blessing of getting God's gifts at the right time is priceless.


Sometimes I can be so fixated on shouting my will to Him that I don't realize how He has lovingly given me something I truly need (like going to bed).  I don't appreciate the blessing of His gift, and beg Him not to give it to me, rejecting His goodness.  I sometimes fail to follow Jesus' example in praying, "Not my will, but Yours be done."


Sometimes I can be so busy shouting my will to Him that I am no longer listening to His calm, quiet voice explaining His perfect will to me.  


Sometimes my prayers can scarily resemble the demands of a toddler.  


What about you?  Do you (perhaps painfully) see yourself anywhere in here?


My two-year-old will outgrow this phase, and learn to listen better to her earthly parents, as well as to the Lord.  Will I outgrow my toddler-ish ways in my interactions with my Heavenly Father?