What Are You Doing, God?

PHOTO CAPTION: Do you ever have moments when you wonder, “Why are you raining on my parade, God?” This photo was taken on Daffodil Parade Day.

Do you ever have days when you wonder, “What are you doing God? Why are you raining on my parade? I didn’t ask for this!” Maybe instead of asking why, we should take advantage of those moments and stomp boldly in the puddles.

When your life takes an unexpected turn, and you find yourself asking, “God what are you doing?”remember, you are not alone. I know I have asked that same question quite a few times. However, my questioning sounds more like this, “God, did I miss the boat somewhere? How is it that I didn’t hear what you were saying? Where did I get off track? What did I do wrong?” These questions are not bad to ask ourselves. We all need times to reevaluate our direction and what we are doing. We do need to own up to those times when we find ourselves going the wrong direction, turn around and get back on the right road, but when the unexpected happens and we find rain falling when we least expect, it doesn’t necessarily mean we are off track. It may simply mean that God is busy working out His plan in our lives. Perhaps He wants to give us a beautiful rainbow when the sun breaks through.

Thinking about the story of Joseph this week, I wondered, “Did Joseph get frustrated with his circumstances? Did he ever wonder what happened to the dreams that he had when he was younger? Did He ask God, why?”

When I was younger, I had a lot of dreams. Some were silly, childish dreams and others were really things about which I was passionate. Some were, God given dreams. Many of those dreams never came to be – at least not in the way I expected, yet I have seen God’s hand at work in my life reshaping and refining those dreams in ways I never imagined. Did Joseph experience this reshaping and remolding too? Yes, I think he did and in the process, there may have been times that he wondered, “What’s happening? God, what are you doing here? Why are you raining on my parade?” Still in the midst of the good times and the bad times, he trusted. He trusted God when he was far away from home in Potiphar’s house. He trusted God in prison and when he was brought before Pharaoh to interpret dreams, he still trusted God.

I believe that in those times of learning to trust when trust didn’t come easy, he came to realize that the story was not about him and his dreams, the story was God’s. When he was brought before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams, it was not his own ability that he depended on. He depended on God. He said, “I cannot explain the dream, Pharaoh, but God can.” He had been through the dark and he had learned to depend on God no matter what! He knew God was with him. God was with him and gave him dreams as a teenager, but God was also with him far away from home when he was in prison and things weren’t going so well.

Can we trust God in our dark times too? What about those lost dreams you have, does God even care? Yes, He definitely does, but He cares even more about you than about your dreams. If God gave you dreams and abilities, then He will fulfill those dreams in your life in His timing. There’s a lot I really don’t understand about God, life or my dreams, still I know God is with me and I can trust Him. I know that when I look to Him asking, “How can I be a part of your story?” He makes up the difference.

What are you doing, God? I don’t know, but oh how I want to be a part of it! I am going to trust God with every part of my life journey, then I’m going to rise up boldly and stomp in those puddles because I know God is with me. He is shaping and refining me. He is giving me new dreams to dream. Join me in trusting, continuing to hope and yes, grab your umbrella and rain boots because we’re going puddle stomping.

PARENT PRAYER:
Dear God,
I come again asking for help. It seems that I need your help everyday. I’m so glad that you are with me especially in those times when I can’t see the way; those times when life takes an unexpected turn and I’m not sure where I’m going. There are those times when my life if full of dreams and plans for the future, I feel creative and excited, ready to tackle life head on. I think. “Wow! God really has some amazing things in store for me.” But then the rain comes and I’m standing watching the parade go by, miserable and cold. Life feels heavy and hard and the path is unclear. Lord, I want to trust you when life is going well and when life is a struggle. Instead of asking for you to bless my plans, I ask that you would allow me to be a part of your story. Where I lack, Lord, make up the difference. Shine through me. Shine through me in the light and in the dark because I want to be a part of what you are doing no matter what. Give my kids hope in their dark times too. When those storm clouds arise and the thunder of depression and confusion strikes, give us the hope and faith to boldly grab our boots and stomp in the puddles. Remind us, like the song says, that you are master of taking “what the enemy meant for evil and turning it for good”. Remind us that the sun will shine through again and that you are making something beautiful in the midst of our storm. Amen

DECLARATIONS OF HOPE FOR WHEN LIFE IS TOUGH
1. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but hope in God makes the heart sing.
2. Hope springs from faith in God who is good.
3. Hope continues to trust and persevere against all odds, because hope remembers that God is with us.
4. Hope is the light in the dark leading us towards a brighter tomorrow.
5. Hope keeps us moving forward when everyone and everything around us says to give up.
6. A new day, a new beginning, a fresh commitment to healthy eating and trust in a God who is the God of new beginnings. That is hope!
7. Hope reaches upwards to take God’s hand in the dark.
8. Never, never give up! Never stop hoping! Hope brings joy and peace as we leave our storms in His capable hands.

HELPING KIDS HANDLE DISAPPOINTMENT
1. Listen & Understand. How are they feeling? You might say something like, “I know you are disappointed that we can’t go to grandma’s house today because your sister is sick. I know you feel sad. I feel sad too. I’m sorry.”

2. Offer Some Solutions. You may not be able to completely erase the disappointment of missing something or someone, but you and your child can come up with other fun things to do such as enjoy a favorite snack together or play a favorite game.

3. Distract. With young children, distract them from the disappointment. In a classroom setting this might look like offering them another toy or activity when someone else is playing with what they wanted. At home, it could be playing Peek-A-Boo or Hide and Seek, baking cookies or any distraction that takes their mind off the original disappointment.

4. Plan Together. Planning and dreaming together with your child can be so fun. Plan another time for the activity or visit to make up for the one that didn’t happen. When things really don’t work out as you had hoped or planned, help kids understand that tomorrow is another day. Disappointments do come, but you will be there for them as much as possible and God will be there.

Kid’s Section

STORY: Pharaoh’s Dreams – Genesis 41
God was with Joseph when he was far from home. God was with him when he had to work hard and God was with Joseph when he was in prison. One night when Joseph was still in prison, Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) had a funny dream. (Pretend to go to sleep.) He dreamed about some nice fat cows, but then some skinny cows came and ate up the fat ones. What a funny dream! Then he had another dream (Pretend to go to sleep again.) about some nice fat stalks of grain, but then some skinny stalks of grain ate up the fat stalks. That’s another funny dream!

Pharaoh was worried about his funny dreams. He wanted to know why he had those funny dreams so he called for his wise men. (Put hands by mouth and say. “Wise men!”) But none of Pharaoh’s wise men could tell him anything about his dreams. (Shake head.) Then one of Pharaoh’s servants said, “I know someone who can help you. When I was in prison, Joseph told me about my dream and I know he can help you too.”

Pharaoh sent for Joseph. Joseph knew he couldn’t tell Pharaoh about his dreams. He might have felt a little scared because Pharaoh was a big, important ruler and he was just a prisoner, but Joseph trusted God. He knew God was with him and He knew God can do anything.

Joseph said, “I can’t tell you what your dreams are about, but God can.” (Shake head again and point upwards. Say, “God can do anything!”) Joseph told Pharaoh, “God is telling you what will happen soon. The fat cows and the fat stalks of grain mean that there will be seven good years (Count to 7.) with lots and lots of food to eat. The skinny cows and grain mean that after the good years, there will be seven bad years when it will be hot and dry and no food will grow. (Fan face for hot and dry.) God wants you to save food from the good years so that when the bad years come, there will be enough food.”

Pharaoh was so happy (Smile!) that Joseph was able to help him. He put Joseph in charge of everything. Joseph trusted God and God helped him. God helped Joseph in prison and God helped Joseph tell Pharaoh about his dream. Joseph was part of God’s plan to help save Pharaoh and his country from the seven very bad years.

God was with Joseph all the time and God is with you all the time too. He can do anything. God will be with you and help you at home and away from home. He will be with you when you get an ‘owie’ or when something bad happens. God will be with you and help you, because He loves you and He can do anything.

MEMORIZE: Matthew 28:20 NIrV – (Hands like reading a book.)
I am – (Raise hands upwards.)
Always – (Roll arms.)
With you – (Point to self.)

PRAYER:
Dear God,
Thank you that you are with me all the time. I know that you will help me know what to do when I need help, because you have a plan for me just like you did for Joseph. Thank you for my dad and mom who help me know what to do too. Amen

KNOW: God was with Joseph. God will be with me. He can do anything!
TALK ABOUT: Amazing things God has done. Dream Big!
ASK: Who made you? God made me for a reason. Who is with you? God is always with me.
AND DO… I can thank God that He is with me and trust Him to help me.

FUN IDEAS FOR THIS WEEK 
* To create an awareness of God’s presence, look at a clock throughout the day, talk about what time it is and how God is with you throughout the day. EX. “The clock says it’s 11:30. It’s lunchtime. God is with us at   lunchtime.”

* What sounds do you hear when you are quiet for one minute? Practice listening.  

* Read a Bible story together and ask your child some fun questions. Ask your child what they might hear if they were in that story. What do you think you might see? Feel? Experience the story with your child.