The Sweet Potato Saga

I have found there is one food my six year old absolutely abhors....sweet potatoes. Regular potatoes are not an issue for her, yet for some reason she has a strong dislike for the sweet variety. It was several months ago I made sweet potatoes without realizing it would turn into one of the biggest dinner battles ever. She cried. She pouted. She sat at the table for close to an hour over her refusal to eat sweet potatoes. She informed me several times she wasn't hungry anymore. Had I placed a cupcake in front of her, I'm sure she would have quickly found an appetite. She eventually ate the sweet potatoes, but not without the threat of punishment. 

Last night I tried a different approach by serving sweet potato casserole. I remembered she does not like sweet potatoes.  She made it painfully obvious the last time they were served. However, it is something I know is good for her. She resisted yet again, but did eat it with fewer tears than before and in less time. 

This morning as I was thinking about the sweet potato saga, I heard God remind me of how similar I am when it comes to Him giving me things that are good for me that I don't "like." There are times when God brings people or situations into our lives that are good for us even though we don't like them. It's through trials that we find out how strong we really are through Him. It's through hurt and disappointment that I have learned to trust fully in Him. Some life lessons I am slowly learning now that I am taking the test for the 20th time. Every time such a scenario is "served" I cry because I don't want it again. Just like my 6 year old though, the amount of time it takes for me to "get it" diminishes each time the test is given. The tears become less. 

What is the sweet potato in your life? Is there something God is telling you to "eat" because it's good for you, yet you turn into a child in your refusal to just listen to your Daddy? The next time you come to the table and find that meal being served, will you pout, cry and refuse to partake or will you trust Him to have your best interests and health in mind? 

This is Olivia during the first sweet potato dinner 

"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask of Him?" Matthew 7:11