A Baby Teaches a Lesson

The other night, I was babysitting my friends 3 kids. It was around 8:30 so all of them were in bed. My friend told me that the youngest, a 9 month old baby girl, would fall asleep after crying for a few minutes, but not to worry about her. Well after she had cried for what seemed like forever, I was like "forget it, I'm going to rescue her!" So I went upstairs and held her for a bit, she settled down, and we went through the process again, she would seem like she had fallen asleep then suddenly she was up again. And I was beginning to wonder if she'd ever sleep.

After awhile of walking around with her, singing a song to her, and praying with her, I didn't think she'd sleep, ever. At one point, she started whimpering like she wanted something, so I went to her room and began pulling all her toys out of the crib and giving them to her, hoping she'd take one of them. She only pushed them away and cried more. Until I gave her the blanket, she took it and rested her head on it, and not another peep was made from her.

During this whole episode, I heard God speak to me. He said, "Just like Lily was crying, and you didn't go to her immediately because you knew in the long run she needed sleep, I know that sometimes you need to cry. You need to get desperate for something. And at the right time I will come in and swoop you out of your crib. I will hold you close to My chest. I won't let you go. Just like you knew that Lily was teething and might be in pain, I know that you go through things that are painful. But in the end, My daughter, they are for the good. If Lily's parents stopped the pain by making the doctors take out the teeth, Lily would grow up with no teeth. And though it's a painful time, she comes through with teeth. If I chose to stop the pain, and not let it happen, you wouldn't grow, you would stay sheltered. Though I would rather you never be in pain, and I would not cause you pain, the pain the world brings you, I will turn it into good. For I have big plans for you, a huge future. I am holding you tightly, just like you did Lily. I sing over you, while you are crying, I weep over you when you are hurting, I dance over you when you are crying out, because My daughter, I love you."