God, can you right-side-out my blue jeans?

My four year old is working her way through a very frustrating season of life. She wants so desperately to do things on her own, but she still requires help. Nearly every day we encounter the same scenario: I'll be in the kitchen and I'll hear her from the hall. She grunts and growls as she tries to "right-side-out" her jeans so she can put them on. I can hear her tones ranging from self-pity to all-out anger. She pulls the legs and twists the pants into an even bigger knot than she started with. Eventually she can't even tell what parts are inside out vs. right-side out. I learned a long time ago that it is not wise to interrupt when she is focused on getting something done alone. I'm almost always met with "I'll do it myself!" Any help I offer at that point is useless and will be rejected. With my child, at least, the best thing to do is wait for her to come to me. She won't ask for help until she is absolutely certain that she has exhausted every other resource at her disposal. More times than not, this turns into a fit that needs to be disciplined. *Sigh* Sometimes I think, "If she had just come to me in the first place she wouldn't be red-faced and teary-eyed, standing in the kitchen completely discouraged. I was so willing to help. We could have worked on it together and saved a lot of time and frustration if she had only come to me."


I was reading in Isaiah 30 today. In this chapter, the Israelites had a similar attitude. They didn't want to hear what God had to say. In fact, they told the prophets to tell them lies because they were tired of hearing all of the "gloom and doom" (a.k.a. consequences for their behavior). What they were really struggling with here was their refusal to submit to God. They didn't want to change. They didn't want His help. They wanted to do things their own way. God warned them that this attitude would get them into trouble, but they didn't seem to care (or didn't seem to believe Him- I'm not sure which). Bottom line: they refused to run to God for help.

So what did God say? Well, after being quite clear about the consequences, Isaiah 30:18 says this:

"So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help."

What? God is going to wait for me? He wants me to come to Him?? He wants to help me? Let's look at a few more verses:

Jeremiah 29:13a says "If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me..."

Psalm 46:1 "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble."

James 4:8a says "Come close to God and he will come close to you..."

Hebrews 11:6 says "A man cannot please God unless he has faith. Anyone who comes to God must believe that He is. That one must also know that God gives what is promised to the one who keeps on looking for Him."


It just begs the question: are some of the struggles in our lives amplified by the fact that instead of running to God to right-side them out we're pulling on the ends and just making a bigger mess? Are we looking for God in our struggles? Seeking him wholeheartedly? Or are we trying to do it ourselves? The LORD is waiting patiently to show us His faithfulness and compassion. Let's just get past our pride and run to Him for help today.