"Little Bit" and Delayed Answers

I have been thinking about the sense of smell. I can contribute these thoughts to the fact that I awoke to the smell of homemade blueberry muffins and fresh coffee. You can imagine my surprise when I went into the kitchen not only to not find muffins and coffee, but to see that my husband wasn't even home. Eric isn't the type to make homemade blueberry muffins. Sausage biscuits, yes, muffins, no. But, I am telling you that all sense of reality went out the door this morning as I lay in bed sniffing the goodness! What is it with our sense of smell? How on earth can our brains manufacture a scent that isn't even around?

Pondering that made me think of smells I love. I can't resist a baby freshly bathed and lotioned up in "Baby Magic." I want to weep with joy every time I spray on Chanel's "Coco Mademoiselle" because the scent is so pure. I can spray all day and not worry about a chemical overload of perfume. It just smells perfect. And then there is Little Bit, my Mom's pillow. This pillow sadly got left in a hotel room on my parents' recent trip to Colorado. I am not sure if the loss of Little Bit has affected me or Mom the most. Something about that pillow just summed up the scent of my Mom. It contained her essence, and now it is gone. Sure, she has other pillows, but none will ever replace Lil' Bit.

I am so glad God gave us the sense of smell. I can't imagine life without the intoxication of a fresh gardenia bloom or the comforting scent of my husband's neck.

If this earth has been tainted by sin, then I imagine that smells have been tainted in some way as well. Can you imagine a place where smells are purely divine and absolutely nothing will mar those smells? Babies grow up, "Chanel" perfumes get used up, pillows get lost, gardenias fall off and die, and well, let's just face it, my husband's neck doesn't always smell amazing. But, someday, I think we will enter a home that has scents we will have only smelled in our dreams...perhaps like blueberry muffins and coffee. :)

And, to segway into this next topic: this has nothing to do with the above!

Everytime Sam lays down for a nap or bedtime, he always wants to ask me a question. It seems to be his twice-daily-plea. It is always stated in question form and usually sounds something like this:
1. When can we go to the zoo?
2. When can we go up on a spaceship?
3. When can we go to the beach?

With the zoo and the beach, we can give him a bit of timeline, but with the spaceship, well, we just let him dream. He tends to ask just one thing at a time, and when he senses that we aren't going to give what he wants when he wants it, he moves onto something else. So, just the other day, he started asking, "When can we go fishing?"

That question is easily answered with "this summer." But, I got to thinking about his other requests. Perhaps he thinks I haven't heard him. Perhaps he thinks they will never come true. Perhaps he has given up hope, which is why he has stopped asking for those things and has moved onto something different.

Perhaps I am no different in my prayer life.

From my viewpoint as "Mom," I can see that we will probably go to the zoo next week and might even get to go to the beach this summer. But, my timing really has no bearing on a 4 year old. "March" and "summer" really don't compute in his little mind. I, being the wiser one, have things worked out (and for his good) but he can't see it yet. In his little mind, he has probably assumed that either I will never deliver or I really don't care about his request.

Perhaps I think the same things of my God from time to time.

And all the while, God is smiling down on me saying, little one, I have this all worked out. I know the exact hour and day when the desires of your heart will be granted. It just isn't the right season. It wouldn't be much fun to go to the beach when it is too cold to swim, right? It wouldn't make sense to go to the zoo when it is pouring down rain, right?

Just keep praying and trusting that He is good. He hears. He is waiting on the perfect season to grant your request.