Come Now or You'll Miss It

I took my three-year-old grandson to the Liberty Science Center last week. It’s four floors of exhibits, with events throughout the day: the touch-tank, a live animal demonstration, a planetarium show, pixel art activities, a nano exhibition. We’d never get through it before we got tired and cranky. Besides, it would be closing in a few hours. I quickly mapped out a plan: start at the top, see the touch tank at 2:00, explore the special area for preschoolers, and hit the live animal show at 4:00.

But Marshall had other plans. No, actually, he didn’t have a plan at all. He just didn’t want to do what I told him to do. He ran to play with the virtual crane, which was too advanced for him. He wanted to stay in the Star Trek mockup and push buttons. He resisted my glowing descriptions of the other things he could see and do if he would just come with me.I could visualize the possibilities. I had the brochure with pictures. I’d been on the website. As an experienced mother and grandmother, I knew which things he’d really enjoy and learn from. I wanted to take him there.

He only saw what was in front of him. He liked it. So he didn’t want to go anyplace else. And if he got bored, he’d look up, see something else nearby that looked interesting, and run to check it out.

Marshall had no sense of time. He couldn’t foresee that LSC would close at 4:00 and we’d have to leave. He couldn’t anticipate that he’d get tired or hungry or thirsty. No, he was in the moment. And he was having fun. But not as much fun as I knew he could have if he let me lead him.

I’m going to try to remember this day, the next time God beckons me to follow Him someplace which I can’t see yet. He’s been there before. He made the brochure. He knows how much time we have before closing. And if He takes my hand and says, “I have something to show you. Come now or you’ll miss it,” I’ll stop whatever I’m doing and skip along beside Him like a child.