Monday, December 6, 2004

"I think that I'd rather go back to the we'll see..."

It's your typical "pick-your-child-up-from-school" day: They get into the vehicle and have a million items to share with you and ask you, all the while complaining of how hungry they are. Or at least that's my typical day in picking up my son Leo from 1st grade. Only on this particular day, he had it in his head that he would like to spend his newly acquired birthday money on a Game Boy video game. He asked me at least ten times before we left the school parking lot, "Can we go to the store and buy the video game, Daddy? Please!" And as any self-respecting parent, I answered, "We'll see..." (hoping I could postpone the topic long enough for Leo to forget).

Within two blocks of leaving the parking lot and several "Please!"s and "We'll see"s, I finally told Leo, "Do you want me to decide right now? Okay, the answer is 'no,' we can't go to the store today." To which Leo quickly and honestly responded, "I think that I'd rather go back to the we'll see."

You've most likely heard it before and it was a statement my father was good about reminding me over the years, "God answers all prayers. And sometimes the answer is 'no.'" We older humans aren't that much different from our children. We find ourselves from time to time kneeling and saying in our own words, "Please! Can I? Please?!" And for most of us, there's no booming voice that responds, but we imagine in our own mind the Great Parent saying, "We'll see..."

Can I win the lottery and have financial security? We'll see...

Can I be given a better job than the one I have? We'll see...

Can you cure my family member's illness? We'll see...

Can you take away my pain (physical and/or emotional)? We'll see...

I guess it's not that surprising that "We'll see..." works for so many children; it seems to work for us with our Parent as well. "We'll see..." at least leaves room in the future for a glimmer of hope that our "Please!" will eventually come true. Or at least we can hold onto the hope long enough until we eventually forget about our request.

For me, I wonder, "Will I eventually get into heaven?" And a smile breaks across my face as I hear the Great Parent whisper in my mind, "We'll see..." Well, at least there's a glimmer of hope...