Does God care about binkies? You may think this is a really weird question, but I am asking because I am fairly certain He just spoke directly to my heart on that very subject.
You see, my two-and-a-half-year-old loves his binkie, although he’s moved into a big-boy bed, and he’s almost potty trained. That little plastic remnant of his babyhood still remains, though. We’ve begged, we’ve bribed, we’ve threatened—but he keeps hanging on to that little piece of plastic.
I can’t say if I’ve prayed specifically about the binkie, but I do try to cover all aspects of parenting in prayer. When I’m anxious, I pray. When I’m exhausted, I pray. When I feel uneasy about a transition or next step, I pray. I take it all to Jesus because I can’t bear the thought of parenting without Him, and because I want Him to be the very center of my role as a mom.
I was worshipping the Lord this morning when I felt a very clear directive in my heart: “Today is the day to take away the binkie.”
It wasn’t the physical part of me that urged this step (that part of me is so exhausted I can’t bear the potential of losing more sleepas a result of removing the binkie). It wasn’t my rational side, either—that part would have taken it away a long time ago. It couldn’t possibly have been my emotional side—I dread the tears that are sure to come from this little boy I love so much. Only the spiritual side of my heart and mind could direct me to make that mothering choice at that very moment.
So, I did—and I have no other word to describe the result than miraculous.
Sure, my little man shed a few tears, but it was more like he was mourning the loss of a good friend than rebelling against my decision. He took his nap without a hitch, and only asked for the binkie a time or two. He went to bed tear-free. No wailing. No screaming. No fit-throwing.
You mommas know how huge this is! The whole thing has me wondering “Did God mean what He said when He told me I could trust Him with everything?”
Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (emphasis added).
Everything? Really? I guess a part of me always assumed this verse meant “everything” as in everything spiritual, or everything I wouldn’t be too embarrassed to mention in my Sunday school class. But everything—everything? I guess I’ve never really trusted that God cares about the insignificant worries of my life, like when to take away the binkie.
But the lack of a battle over a much-loved binkie has me wanting to take God at His Word. It’s got me thinking that He really does care about every corner of my life and that I can truly trust Him with every detail.
Certainly that doesn’t mean that all battles will be so easily won, but it does mean that my God is with me through every parenting trial no matter how huge or seemingly insignificant.
What about you? Is there evidence that God cares about the “small stuff” in your life? If you are a mom, can you think of a time when God helped you parent in an area that was making you feel anxious or unsteady? Are you trusting Him with everything today, even the “binkies” in your life?
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