Tractors are a Treasure

Philippians 4 says to not be anxious, be constant in prayer, and God will supply all of our needs.  I love that He knows just what we need.  The past few days have been mentally and emotionally draining, but spiritually revitalizing.  That's what happens when you rely on Jesus to lead the way, day by day.  And sometimes he uses kids to bring a bit more light into the dusk of our trials.

Hotel room assignments are predictable when you have kids (and we are seeing quite a bit of hotel life these days, fortunately and equally unfortunately).  They hide you in the back of the hotel with all the other roudy kids so as not to disturb the business people.  We walked and walked and walked and finally got to our room.  When we looked out the window, we were instantly bummed at our view.  "Well, we can celebrate industrial capitalism in America," I joked.  Then God tugged on my heart that there really was something beautiful about the parking lot across the street.  The Lord handpicked this room and this view not for us, but for Cash.  He LOVES trucks, tractors, construction sites, and cranes.  This view was a special gift for him.  Perspective is the difference between a grateful heart and a critical spirit.  Perspective dictates whether your life experiences shape you into a person of more character or a person of more complaints.  The more we lean on Jesus for direction, humility, and understanding, the more we find joy and light, the more we see things through His perspective.  Proverbs 3:5 says, "Trust in the LORD with ALL your heart; do not depend on your own understanding."  If I rely on my understanding of a situation or my perspective, I could be missing so much beauty and hope on display, and so much of JESUS.  This parking lot of trucks went from "bleh" to "Wow, God cares for our sweet boy so much, He gave him a view of his favorite things."
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After an especially difficult day, a Target run for diapers was the prime opportunity for Jt to clear his head and spend some quality time with Cash.  Still in a mental fog from a heavy day, Jt placed Cash in a carseat and began to buckle him.  "No, Daddy.  Baby seat."  Pointing to his carseat, Cash said,  "That's mine."  (I'm so glad Cash was aware that Daddy was putting him in Chloe's seat!)

Looking up at at the sky during his outing with Daddy, Cash also said, "Moon.  God made it."  When your child grasps the spiritual lessons you are trying to teach, it's pure gold!  It was a special gift for Jt too to be reminded of what matters the most.
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For the past few mornings, Cash has looked out the window or stepped outside and said, "Wow. What a beautiful day!"
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Our cozy "hometels" have provided nice hot breakfasts every morning and Cash has enjoyed making waffles with his Daddy.  It's kind of their thing.  After Cash finished all of two bites of breakfast, he ran laps around our table (and after being cooped up in a hotel room for many days, he can do as many laps as he wants to!) and he said very loudly, "I wuv you, guys!"
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In the middle of a particularly stressful moment, we looked over and Cash was playing with his trucks and trains singing "Jesus Loves Me."  THAT is the stuff that matters!