*This is an excerpt from Oh My Soul: Encountering God in Honest, Unconventional (and Sometimes Messy) Prayer, available for purchase at Amazon and anywhere books are sold. *

There’s a child in our dining room sobbing over math, over eight times four. But it’s okay, I’ve got this – step aside, folks, stand back – I’ve done this before:

“Make it smaller,” I tell him. “What is eight times two?”

“Sixteen.” Sniff.

“Great! Now, what is sixteen times two?” I check to make sure my super hero cape is ruffling in the wind, like it’s supposed to in the movies.

“Thirty-two…oh!” He writes down the answer, and I think he’s got it figured out…

…until ten seconds later, and he’s sobbing again…about nine times four. Good grief.

We try it again. “What is nine times two?” And then, thinking of a new strategy, I ask him, “If eight times four is thirty-two, what is nine times four? What is four more added to— ”

“WAIT!” he interrupts, trying to think. He’s already on the trail, but my chatter was in the way. “Thirty-six!” he yells, victorious.

It reminds me of that scene in Finding Nemo. Let us see what Squirt does, flying solo…

There is no work in life so hard as waiting, and yet I say wait…All motion is more easy than calm waiting. So many of My followers have marred their work and hindered the progress of My Kingdom by activity.

– God Calling, edited by A.J. Russell

When we get to the point of truly waiting – we’ve listened, we’ve obeyed, we’ve taken the leap – it is hard to not interfere. I want to hurry things along; I want to read too much into the situation. I want to yell at God for being a Big Meanie. It’s like peeking at the popcorn while it is popping, though – at best, we delay what we’re already waiting for, but at worst, it blows up in our face.

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

– Romans 8:24-25, ESV

And so I’m learning to wait. Apparently He thinks I need lots of practice at this.

The next time there was sobbing over multiplication, I was prepping dinner. We really need to enforce the “math before mental shutdown” rule.

“Mom, can I get the abacus?”

“Nope, you can do this.” Let us see what Squirt does, flying solo…A few minutes passed, sprinkled with wailing and moaning while I sautéd onions.

“Mo-oooo-om, can I get the abacus?” I hope you’re reading this in the whiniest font imaginable.

Wait. I will not overtry your spiritual strength…All your toil in rowing and all your activity could not have accomplished the journey so soon. Oh, wait and trust. Wait, and be not afraid.

– God Calling, edited by A.J. Russell

“I already said no.” Wait, and be not afraid…and I’m praying in the moment, but these poor onions. They don’t deserve what I’m doing to them at this point.

“Mom, can I get the abacus?” And, hey! I didn’t answer him again. See? This is me, waiting. This is me, not interfering. This is me, not letting my chatter get in the way. Patient Mommy…gooood Mommy…

“Why can’t I use the abacus?”

And then, it must be confessed, I flung the hero cape to the ground. Patient Mommy was done.

“Because I am a BIG MEANIE.”

See? I told you I need lots of practice.

This is day 12 of Without Ceasing: 31 Days of Relentless Prayer. Find the other posts here. To get new posts right in your inbox, subscribe here.