One day a psychologist is going to have to explain to me a preschoolers brain!  There are so many times I am left baffled and laughing to myself at what sets my son into a whirlwind of tears.  This morning, we sat down to eat breakfast– cereal, fruit, and yogurt.  I cannot even begin to count the times we eat cereal, fruit, and yogurt for breakfast in the morning.  It is the number one breakfast in our house, and our cereal is ALWAYS in a bowl. 

This morning, like all the other mornings, Chris and I poured Brady’s Fruit Loops (a rare treat in our house!) into a bowl. Suddenly, Brady is in full-out melt-down over the cereal being in the bowl instead of a ziplock bag.  We were so taken aback by this out-pour of tears that we could hardly keep a straight face.  This was one of those all out cries.  We sent Brady to the couch to calm down, and we told him he could join us again when he was calm and ready to eat cereal out of a bowl.  Three times he calmed down only to come to the table to see the bowl (we were not giving into this tantrum!) still at his place, and he would start all over again.  After several minutes, he suddenly stopped, hopped up in his chair, and ate every bite of his cereal out of his bowl. 

Now, I know my readers, who are parents, have witnessed these melt-downs from a preschooler that occasionally happen over something as funny as a cracker breaking in half.  Today, as I watched this occur, I thought of how many times we throw fits over something in our life that is as trivial as a ziplock vs a bowl.  We cry, we wail, we angrily shout out God because we want things to be how we want them to be.  Finally, after letting off enough steam, we accept what is put in front of us, and it turns out to be just fine and just as good as the other option. 

As I watched Brady (trying my best to not laugh out loud at the root of this melt-down), I wondered if God ever just lovingly laughs at us as we pitch our fits? Thankfully, God gives us the room and the space to do such a thing before God calmly welcomes us back into his arms–just as we did to Brady. 

When have we found ourselves fighting something in our lives that is really not worth the fit we are throwing? 
How does it make me feel to know that despite my best tantrums…God is steady by my side, welcoming me back?

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.