Tip of My Iceberg

She’s only a year old, so she hasn’t had an abundance of sugar. She hasn’t fancied much food in general.

Until she discovered ice cream.

I was at our local Chick-fil-A with two of my daughters and a handful of grands. The world has developed a desire for its nuggets, but they also have a child’s play area that allows the kids to climb, expending extra energy so they can eat more nuggets.

We were sitting around the table, watching the littles climb up and down like capuchin monkeys. One of the workers stopped at our table and asked Debbie if she thought her daughter might like some ice cream.

“She’s never had it, but let’s give it a try.” The woman returned with a cup of ice cream and a spoon. Thea watched wide-eyed.

Thea is at the age where she wants to feed herself. If she can’t get the food to her mouth on her own, she doesn’t want it. Debbie put some ice cream on a spoon and handed it to her. She looked skeptical at first, but she grabbed the spoon and maneuvered it to her mouth.

I didn’t think her eyes could get bigger. She licked the spoon clean. Deb added a little more, and the process continued. Deb took a bite herself, and Thea growled at her. She wanted her ice cream.

There are those times in life when we know what we want. Being able to voice our desires is a great way of communicating those yearnings.

Moses had an intimate relationship with God; the Lord “spoke to him face to face as one speaks to a friend.” Exodus 33:11. God had tasked him with leading the people out of Egypt, taking them to the land He’d promised His people. They were a cantankerous bunch, ornery and rebellious. God had told him He wouldn’t accompany His people because they were stiff-necked, refusing to follow the plan the Lord laid out foe them. Moses knew his limits; he was aware that he couldn’t do what God asked without God’s help. He wanted to know that God was pleased with him and would assure him that He would accompany them.

“Then Moses said to Him, ‘If Your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that You are pleased with me and with Your people unless You go with us?’…Then Moses said, ‘Now show me Your glory.’” Exodus 33:15, 16, 18

Moses knew what it was like to be in a close relationship with God. He wasn’t willing to compromise that because of the actions of others. God heard his request and granted him what he’d asked for. Moses couldn’t see God’s glory directly, but he saw the trail of glory as God passed.

It changed him. His face glowed with a holy radiance that he would have to veil to be around his people.

There are times when wanting something isn’t good for us. Too much ice cream for Thea would have been a disaster; it would have messed up her system and given her a sugar high that would have challenged the most patient parents.

But when we seek God, when we desire to know Him intimately, He makes Himself known to us. “You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13. He longs for a relationship with us so He may bless us with His love and forgiveness.

Thea is just learning what she wants. Those of us with more life experience have a better idea of what’s good for us, and sometimes it’s exactly what we want.

What we want and what we need can be the same if we know how well we’re loved by God.