.22

    The boys were discussing guns. Again. Who had a BB gun? Whose brother had a .22?

    Gina was not about to be left out. "I like to shoot my gun, too!" she said.

    The boys scoffed at her. "You couldn't hit the side of a barn!" one of them told her. 

    "Oh yes I could too!" Gina shot back, "If I was inside it I could!"

    The boys didn't have anything to say to that, so they changed the subject.

    "What kind of gun do you have?" asked Bryan.

    "A .22," Gina responded promptly.

    This inspired another round of skepticism. "No, you do not!" said Bryan. "I don't even have a .22. Even Adam doesn't have a .22!"

    Evan chimed in. "I don't believe it," he said shaking his head. "I don't believe you have a .22."

    "I do!" Gina retorted. "I have a .22 and a .23 and a .24, too!"

    This statement was understandably met with guffaws from the boys, and I hurried to intervene.

    But how often are you and I not just like Gina? We push things farther than we ought. Maybe we try to convince others our point of view is right. Perhaps our dreams and plans are blocked by a closed door, so we pull out our crowbar and get to work, prepared to do whatever we need to to reach the other side.

    Suddenly we realize, as our big ideas come crashing down around us, that we've gone too far. The problem is that once the words come out of our mouths, once we've brandished the crowbar or pulled out the .23 and .24, there's no going back. Our headstrong or impatient nature lies exposed. The illusions we've tried to build are no longer strong enough to support us.

    Barging ahead doesn't get us anywhere. We must be able to reach a place of understanding that waiting on God is the only route that really works. Trust in Him. Although it sometimes seems His pace is too slow, rest assured that it will always be the perfect pace for you.