i just want a cookie

So I was watching my little boy play with blocks today. I asked him to bring the blocks in my room so I could get ready and still talk with him. He sat right by the door building towers, destroying them, and building again. The thought crossed my mind of, 'Is it sad I'm making him play with just a few blocks so I can get ready?' which then led to the thought, 'No, he is happy to play with blocks. Kids are happy creatures. People say about them that they are resilient, they can bounce back!' But people only say that about kids-why don't they say that about adults?

When Tav asks for a cookie and I say no, he throws a tantrum until he gets distracted by something else. If I ask for something and don't get it, I brood or mope or feel sorry for myself. And even when I get distracted, I always remember that I didn't get what I wanted. Tav doesn't remember that he wanted that cookie because it doesn't matter to him anymore. As my thoughts kept going, I felt like I got a little glimpse of what Heavenly Father sees all the time, and why we are taught to be child-like.

When Heavenly Father doesn't give me my cookie before dinner, its because He knows that dinner is more important than the cookie. Of course the cookie isn't bad for my little boy, but the better thing is for him to eat dinner. He obviously doesn't need the cookie, which is proved 5 minutes later when he has forgotten the cookie and is interested in something else. And then when dinner time rolls around, he is excited for dinner and doesn't even think about the cookie.

This very small and simple lesson Heavenly Father shared with me, reminds me how true the gospel is - how happy I am to have it in my life - how thankful I am for my little boy - and how blessed I am that God shared this with me.