Questions and Answers

My five year old, Micah is absolutely hilarious. Ask anyone who has been around him. My mom says he's quirky. The wheels are always turning and you never know where they are going to. One of the new things he has been doing is asking a question and answering it in the next breath. For some reason, these questions always seem to come up whenever my sister, Elizabeth, is around who Micah does not consider an elder in any way, shape or form. He constantly reminds her, "Auntie, you're not the boss of me." Of course if I am present, I chime in and let him know that he is to respect his aunt! So a couple of weeks ago, Auntie and I were on a walk while the boys were riding their bikes. We passed a huge golden retriever and Micah asks,

"What kind of a dog is that? It's a chihuahua."

Auntie corrected Micah and said,"No Micah, I think that's a golden retriever like Barclay, Papa Mark's dog."

"No, it's a chihuahua."

Let me tell you, when his mind is set on something, it's not going anywhere, even if he knows that he's wrong, it's like he has convinced himself that he's right and he is not budging.

So last week, on our vacation, I took the boys and Ayla to the drive-in. Micah was so excited to sit in the front seat (for the very first time in his whole life, he must have told me a dozen times)! I don't know if he was more thrilled with where he was sitting or "Attack of the Clones," the most anticipated movie in our household this summer.

Jonah almost had a panic attack because the movie was supposed to be a double feature with the new Batman movie playing after and was so worried the whole time that I wasn't going to get us out of the place before it began. I reassured him over and over, but until he heard the speaker announce a fifteen minute intermission, he was in a frenzy. I too, was a little frazzled after occupying a seventeen month old for two hours and making a trip to the bathroom because the empty water bottles we had with us had already gotten filled up with tasty yellow liquid. Not to mention, getting yelled at to turn my lights out while coming back from the bathroom, not only from young children whose parents' did not bother to stop them, but also from the man with the flashlight who let me know that the bright lights were bothering everyone around us. I almost reached in the door for one of the bottles of pee to pour all over his head, but I contained myself and flashed a smile, apologized and told him how I was so sorry but I didn't know how to turn off my lights after unlocking the doors with the key remote. (DIDN'T HE SEE ME TRYING TO MANAGE MY THREE KIDS ALL BY MYSELF?) I reassured him that they would go off in a few seconds. There was no way I was leaving now, we almost made it the whole movie, and I was on a mission to prove that I could do it alone!!

We got back to the condo, all riled up over the whole event! The boys were going on and on about the drive-in to my family (mom, dad, sis and her fiance') and Micah asks,

"So how old do you have to be to get your license? You have to be eleven. I"m going to get my license when I'm eleven."

Auntie lets him know,

"I think you have to be sixteen to get a license."

"No, you have to be eleven."

Micah's mind was already made up and he wasn't budging.

These already answered questions, as cute as they are, got me thinking about my wrong answers to so many questions. I know what the right answers are and really don't have a problem telling people what they are, but when it comes to me answering them, I really tend to make up my own answers, a lot like my Micah. I need to just admit it, I'm in denial. I have many excuses and reasons and answers that in my own mind are justified. I find myself leaning on my own understanding and not listening to the voice of God inside of me, directing me, guiding me and leading me the right way.

Proverbs 3:5-7 (The Message)
Trust God from the bottom of your heart, don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all....

...Forgive me Lord for my know-it-all attitude. Open my ears to hear you!