We had a fun family day yesterday. Between both families, we saw lots of people in one big swoop, and ended up at Kevin’s mother’s house. His sister and her little girl were there, too, much to Lilli’s delight.

She and Collin played well together, in an extra bedroom their grandmother/great-grandmother has set up as a play area in her house. Then, Maddie brought out the Chinese Checkers to play with Emmie, a childhood favorite they played at both grandparents’ houses. When they were done, they left it on the kitchen table, thinking the kids might like to play with it.

They were right.

Now, Collin has played this game quite a few times. She’s four years older than Lilli, so she can read and understands the directions and rules of the game.

Lilli likes the marbles.

Lilli likes matching the marbles to their respective colored triangles.

Lilli couldn’t care less about the directions or the rules.

While poor Collin patiently tried to explain that they didn’t need all six colors on the board because they were only two players, Lilli, oblivious, continued to fill the triangles. Directions were explained to her over and over. Rules were thrown out that help make the game more fun. But Lilli soldiered on as if she was the only one in the room.

Pretty soon, all the adults were watching from the living room, waiting for the inevitable. And it would’ve come. Frustrations were beginning to run pretty high, and when Collin finally started to remove the superfluous marbles, Lilli was quickly brought back to the realization that she wasn’t alone at the table. Just before the marbles started to fly, however, we rushed in with snack options as a diversion. Before we knew it, they’d finished the snacks and headed back into the bedroom to play.

There are so many, MANY times I’ve been (and continue to be) Lilli in this scenario. Directions are quietly explained to me by a still, small Voice, but I act as if I don’t hear it, and continue on blatantly following my own desires and way of doing a thing. And you know what? While I’m busy matching the pretty marbles to their colored triangles, I miss out on playing the game.

Directions and rules are not only to our benefit, but they allow us to join the God of the Universe in something so much greater than our own limited vision. It would behoove us to start listening.

We all have high hopes for Lilli in this area, too.

That would be to everyone’s benefit!

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28 ESV

“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, like gentle rain upon the tender grass, and like showers upon the herb.” Deuteronomy 32:1-2 ESV

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. ” Romans 10:17 ESV