Caught Red Handed

This past week, my 9 month old, Noah, had his well baby check-up at the local Army clinic.

I sort of dread going there. The clinic is almost always a zoo.

 Don't get me wrong, I love my military health care benefit. But I don't always find the place the most accomodating for 3 little boys and their young mother (yes, I still call myself young).

There are too few chairs in the waiting rooms
Too few bathrooms for mild bladdered two year olds
Too few TV screens with cartoons playing
Too few quiet nooks for breastfeeding mothers
And too many minutes spent waiting to see a physician.

The zooishness of the clinic often spills outside the facility's walls and into the parking lot as well:

Too few parking spaces for minivans.

However, when I pulled up to the clinic yesterday, a car was just pulling out

Right. In front. Of the clinic.

Just. As I. Drove by.


SCORE!!!!!!!

AND I didn't have to wait for the single soldier to buckle 3 children in their car seats, load the stroller in the back, pick up the cracker that fell on the floor, while shouting "I'll get you a snack in a minute!" (which is sometimes the case when cars are waiting for my parking spot. But only sometimes, of course. The rest of the time, I snap my fingers and kaa-zam, everyone is smiling cheerfully at me in the rear view mirror).

Anyway. I was jubilant. The perfect parking spot. No walk. No wait. It was just right there waiting for me. I shouted, "WOOHOO!!" to my kids as I pulled in. And continued to marvel out loud at the greatness of this parking spot, and my brilliance in being delayed at the stop light just enough time for this spot to come available.


My 2 year old, Joshua, piped up in the back seat, "Mommy, what are you saying?" In my personal-parking-spot euphoria, I understood his question to mean, what does "YayYayYay!" and "Woohooooooooo!" mean?

So I quickly explained that I was cheering because I was so excited about the great parking spot.

He frowned.

And said with urgency, "But, Mommy! You should say, '"Thank you, Lord!!"'

Caught red handed and guilty as charged.

Nothing like your 2 year old reminding you of God's perfect providence in landing you the perfect parking spot, right? 

Wasn't I just marveling at how I was delayed at the stop light just previous to turning into the parking lot? How the young soldier got into his car without delay? And was pulling out of the parking spot JUST as I drove up?

And did I really think that it was all MY doing?

Nuts.

Forgive me, Lord, for failing to thank you for your sweet providences.

And thank you, Lord, for Joshua! For his uncanny ability to catch me red handed. For the precious reminder of my need for sanctification. And for giving him a heart that is sensitive to You and Your ways.


So yes, I was caught red handed... and I'm thankful for it.

Linked with