Taking Cover!

“They grumbled in their tents, and did not obey the LORD.” Psalm 106:25

My grandson Carson has this reoccurring temptation while over at our house to swipe an antique pocket watch that lays on a table for display. It seems as if each time he is over that temptation swells and grows to such a level that the watch will end up moved and recovered by me later that day. The other day was no different as he came to me and informed me that he had moved the watch again as if he had no control over this repeated action but required some forgiveness and redemption. In my diluted way of fussing at him, I told him that he wasn’t to touch it. He got mad at me at which point he ran and hid under the breakfast room table. I called his name but could only hear his grumblings of how unhappy he was with me. Carson made the mistake of thinking since he couldn’t hear me I couldn’t hear his complaints. After a few minutes of his whining and grumbling I crawled under the table with him much to his surprise. He informed me that his was “his tent” and viewed my presence as an intrusion on his pity party.

How many times do we just want to be like the Israelites and Carson? We want to run and hide under the table so we can complain about our lives and commiserate about our frustration and intrusion of the negatives of life. We feel justified and entitled to our emotions and frustrations forgetting that God is in under the table with us. We walk around and recite to our “circle of impact” our repertoire of infractions made against us.

When Carson started focusing on my presence under the table with him he began remembering how much I loved him and how much fun we have together. His attitude was restored and his joy was displayed as we crawled out together from under the table and resumed our time together.

We must avoid retreating to our tents of grumbling so loudly about our life that we don’t even notice that God has crawled under the table with us. I once read in an email the following which I love!

Don’t tell God how big your storm is, tell your storm how big your God is!