The Stranger's Name

Young children usually seem to think that adults know everything. At the shopping mall or the playground, my children often point to a child I've never seen before, and ask me what his or her name is. I, of course, have no earthly idea. At other times, preschoolers think they know more than their parents, which is as comical as the assumption that we know the name of every person on the planet. If I am honest, I have done the same with my Heavenly Father. In my head, I know that He is omniscient (all knowing), and yet at times I seem to think I have a better plan for my life than He does. When I was twenty-three years old and had yet to be asked out on a date, it was hard to trust that His plan was best because my heart's desire was to be married. When I was thirty-five years old and my arms were still empty after six years of marriage, it was very hard to believe that He knew best while every fiber of my being longed for the day I would become a mother. The truth of the matter is that my Father knows the name of every single person and how many hairs are on each precious head. The next time I am tempted to think my plan is better than His (like right now when my husband is struggling to find a job), I am going to remember how silly it seems when a toddler or preschooler thinks he knows more than me. My job isn't to understand why things happen but just to trust that my Father knows best (Proverbs 3:5-6).