When Things Don't Go My Way

I had a goal yesterday. I was going to take the official 1 year photos of Cohen, complete with his super-cute official 1 year t-shirt that I made.

I made sure the boy was well-fed and properly napped, and then I dressed him up all cute and took him outside. I anticipated photographic genius on both our parts.

The boy was, I'm sorry to annouce, a dud. He just stood there, displaying no charm. And, you know, I could work with that and still manage to get a good picture or two. But every time I moved in front of his face, he'd turn away.

We played this game for about 10 minutes before I started getting really frustrated. I gave up and took him inside and gave him a graham cracker.

But, see, I'm a stubborn girl. So after I gave myself a few minutes to let my blood pressure lower back down, I packed up the boy and the camera and headed to the park.

I mean, the park guarantees a lively kid, right?

Sigh.

Not yesterday.

I spent another 30 minutes desperately trying to milk out at least one good picture. All while the boy stood in the center of the playground and stared blankly at some kids playing on a slide.

Seriously? Where did my kid go?

So long story short, I didn't get a single good picture of my son. Nothing decent enough to document the upcoming big day. Nothing.

Sometimes I just want to shout out loud, "Can anyone just give me a break?!" I'll admit, a temper tantrum every now and then sounds pretty appealing. During the times when I don't get my way, how I'd love to stomp my feet and complain and generally just make a scene.

Like toddlers I see throwing fits in the middle of the mall. I mean, I am humiliated for the parents, but a tantrum like that looks like it just feels good.

Instead, I keep my mouth closed. I suck it up. I deal. And I don't get the gratification I want. I don't get to share my side of the story. And I do that because I know acting on my desires would do nothing to bring glory to my Lord.

And that's what I want more than anything -- to live every single day in praise. To do nothing that would turn anyone way from a relationship with Him.

But sometimes, a little foot-stomping would feel nice, too.