Many years ago on a beautiful warm spring day, my wife, Donna, was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on supper. Her day had been long and tiring. Our daughter, Megan, suddenly burst into the hot, percolating kitchen. This wasn't her first burst! She had repeatedly invaded the kitchen just to be around her mom.

Megan had no earth shattering needs. She wasn't hurt. She had no pressing emergencies or great demands. She just wanted to be near her mom. "I need some ‘tention!” That was her way of saying she wanted our attention.

At one level, Megan's interruptions were childish ones. Her need, however, was significant to her mom! Donna handled each of these repeated interruptions tenderly. However, even the most patient moms reach their limits during supper preparation, so Donna suggested that she might go play in the yard till supper was ready.

"That's a great idea!" Megan said, as she flew out the door.

Of course, it wasn't long till she bounced back in with a handful of wilting buttercups for mommy to put in water. A few more minutes later, she flew in again. This time she was stuttering with excitement. She had forgotten to tell mommy about the huge, scary bee she had seen on the flowers when she picked them earlier. Ten minutes later, just as we were getting ready to eat, Megan bounced in again. This time she held up her crayon drawing. It was done in the "Early Preschool Impressionistic" motif — you know that kind of art where you say, "Wow! That's beautiful, what do you call it?"

As Donna gave the gurgling pans of food their last stir, put the veggies into their serving bowls, and dropped the ice into glasses, she also managed somehow to maintain eye contact, keep up with the conversation, and look at the beautiful work of art!

The drawing was precious and meticulously drawn with great detail. In the picture was a house. There were also flowers. Then there was a huge bee. The bee was bigger than the house and the flowers combined! Down in the bottom were loops, scratches and a red heart. Our little angel explained, "Look, it says 'I love you mommy!'"

God used this moment to reveal something of himself.
Bowls were put down, preparation came to a screeching stop, and Donna gathered Megan in her arms and gave her a big hug and kiss. She lovingly said: "I love you too, Megan!"

God used this moment to reveal something of himself to me. You see, Donna didn't tell our little girl, "Now Listen, I've got important things to do, don't bother me right now." She didn't say, "Wait a minute! You've got to talk to me like an adult or I won't listen." She never demanded, "Go back and draw your picture in the right proportions." No, for a crucial moment, a moment that may not be consciously remembered but forever will be etched our little girl's heart, Megan was loved and received attention from the most important person in her life!

God is that way. He doesn't push us aside because he has more important things to do. He doesn't require us to be impressive in our speech before he hears us. He doesn't ask us to get our problems and our world in the right proportions before we come to him with them. In fact, when we come into his presence, he drops everything and gives us his undivided attention: the attention from the most important person in our lives.

Who could ask anything more of a mother, or from our Father!