Do Not be Swayed by Plastic Hopes

From my friend Emily's blog:

It's almost Dominic's birthday but for a couple months already he has been wanting to get a Batman Hideout. It's the gift he hopes most to get and it's all he talks about. He hopes so much in getting it that it's almost like he has it already. He plans on how he'll play with it and when and with what other toys, ect. Recently he's been trying to convince us to buy it for him when he's with us at the store. On those days he wants a toy so much (finally being convinced that we're not going to get him the big toy) that he even settles into asking for smaller, cheaper toys. Of course we never give in to his pleas for a cheaper toy because we have already bought the big gift he's been hoping for. He doesn't know that, so there's much disappointment and broken-heartedness on his part. If he could only wait...

I find that Dominic's story is much like my prayer life has been. I hope and pray for whatever is on my heart but when I don't find it soon enough, I begin to wonder whether I ought to hope for something smaller or different. I'm only now beginning to mature enough to realize I should not let myself be swayed by plastic hopes but instead keep my hope in the biggest gift, which is really the gift of Christ Himself. When you focus your heart on Christ in prayer, nothing seems to matter as much - not the hopes of this world and not even the hope of good things from God - they don't matter as much as being found secure in the love of Christ, being in Christ Himself. For if you are in Christ then His good things are as sure as yours, even if they are not yet placed in your hand.

Oh, but what an infant I am in prayer! And even worse than an infant! It's the waiting that I kill myself with every time. If I could only wait...