Trust the process!

Trust the process... 

James 4:2

About a month ago my little leader was preparing to go on a field trip with her class. She insisted I come along with her class as a chaperone. Before I agreed I asked a few key questions. Where was the trip? What would we be doing? And how long was the trip?  She told me they would be headed downtown...(okay not so bad, they have some incredible pizza and ice cream joints down there.) Then she chimed in and interrupted my daydreaming moment in a very loud voice and said, 'We will be studying structures!' I'm sorry, structures?!? Do I look like a mom who would be interested in that? I immediately said, ''No! I am not going to look at structures!'' My husband, who was standing beside  me, said "Oh, mom would love to go'. I said 'No way, I do NOT want to go look at structures!' To make matters worse what she thought would sell me, almost made me collapse on the floor. She said, "It'll be fun Mom! We get to take the city bus!" WHAAATTTT....the bus?!!  Her excitement had me believing she'd mistaken the city bus for a limousine. But in her defense being able to travel with your favourite parent (wink wink), classmates, and your favourite teacher to the heart of the city was pretty exciting! So, because of her excitement I reluctantly said, "Yes.''

It was a fantastic day. The sun was shining for what felt like the first time in 4 months. So, while the children studied structures the parents assisted with questions and soaked in the sun. My daughter had talked about this trip for weeks and how she was going to meet the mayor. She prays for him nightly and for the other MP's and leaders in London, and in Canada. She has a heart for government and to cover those who make decisions for all us. She made sure her iPod was charged so she could get a picture with him. (As I assessed the number of students and chaperones, I thought she'd be lucky if we could identify her in the big group photo.) When we got to City Hall we studied the building and then the class was escorted up to his office. The children were excited to meet the Mayor of London.  His assistant came out and apologized, he was out of the office. Seeing as City Hall wasn't our last stop, we left to check out a few more structures and then ventured back to City Hall to see if he was back in the office yet. Again, we missed him. I could tell by my littles ones face, she was very disappointed. We had missed the mayor, the very thing she had talked about and desired to do for weeks. As a class we headed to the park and waited for the bus to take us home.  I looked over and saw my daughter slumped under the trees so I went and asked her what was wrong. She said, 'It's the worst day ever. I didn't get to see Uncle Craig, and I didn't get to meet the Mayor or get a picture with him. God didn't answer my prayer.' I didn't know how to respond, so I said what every mother of faith would say, 'Ummmm...you have to trust God, we don't know why he wasn't here today, maybe he was helping someone or had somewhere else to be. Maybe you'll be able to meet him another time.' My answer did not console her, she was visibly (she wears her emotions well) upset.

Well, not even 6 hours later I received a message. The Mayor had asked me to schedule my daughter in for an appointment. WHAT?! Yes, praise the Lord!  The Lord knew the desires of this little ones heart. A few weeks went by and finally yesterday she had the opportunity to meet the vary man she prays for daily. She had worked hard into the wee hours of the night creating a book for him and had picked out the perfect gift for a special leader.

Before going into the office we gathered on the sidewalk  and prayed that she would have courage and boldness to ask the questions she has been desiring to ask him. We also prayed that she would have a peace so she could enjoy the time with him that she'd prayed for.  He was so welcoming, gentle and
humble. Our Mayor definitely showed and recognizes the great responsibility he carries in making tough decisions in this great city. He loved and laughed at the creativity in her storybook. He was patient and made sure she understood his answers when she asked her list long page of questions. It was as if the two of them were the only two in the room. And me, I got to witness something so precious. 

It's so hard to trust the process when it seems the desires of our heart are crushed. When we learn to trust the process we begin to see that God hasn't abandoned us, He just sees a much bigger picture than we do. It's amazing when God answers the desires of your heart, and it's equally if not more amazing to witness the Lord answering the desires of your children's heart. Our little leader had asked the Lord to make a way and He did. She was so disappointed and frustrated when it didn't look like what she thought, but she didn't realize God was customizing something so much bigger than she could have imagined.  She was able to sit in the Mayor's office and interview him, one on one. She was able to sit in his chair and use his gavel. She was able to bless him with an plaque and a precious card that lists all things God thinks about him, and more importantly she was able to write in and bless him with his own bible, what an honour. God used her as a mouthpiece. Not her father, not her mother, not her teacher.  Her, a nine year old girl. 

I continually remind myself that we have not because we ask not. When we ask and it looks as though everything is failing, when it looks as though God has forgotten or not heard the cries of our heart, we need to trust that He's at work behind the scenes. His ways are higher than our ways. We will go through disappointment and we will be let down, but in those times we have to trust that our Father knows best and that He's in control and working things out. Greater things than we could have ever imagined! TRUST THE PROCESS!