Finding God in a Chinese Restaurant

We buzzed with excitement as we moved to the table the hostess indicated. Allison had just graduated from college and we were so proud. She had chosen a Chinese restaurant in which to have her post graduation celebration. Everyone was there; mom, daddy, finance, sisters, brother-in-law and nieces. Laughter and smiles were everywhere. As we settled in to our respective seats, conversations became full of questions like, “What are you having?” and “Do you want to order an appetizer?” In the busyness of making food and beverage choices, four years old Marley became quite preoccupied with her latest discovery: chopsticks. It was no surprise that the adults missed her question for the first three or four times she asked.
“Can you show me the right way to use these?” she asked. Her countenance was serious as she concentrated on how to use the chopsticks. Over and over again, she asked, going from one grandparent to the next and one aunt to another. Finally, she was able to capture some of the adults’ attention. Once more, she asked, “Can you show me how to eat with these?” She received answers that ranged from “I never have been able to figure those out” to “I have no idea”. Her countenance dropped, she wanted to use the chopsticks. She wanted to overcome this new challenge. Then like a candle lighting the dark, her face was bright and full of a smile.
“My daddy can show me. He knows everything,” she proudly announced. Suddenly, we were all aware of Marley. Our gaze passed from her to her father who stopped midsentence in discussing his latest work tale and turned to his daughter. As quick as lightning, a huge smile spread across his face and danced in his eyes. His full attention was focused on teaching his daughter how to use her chopsticks.
As I sat there watching her daddy’s face almost burst with palatable pride, I wondered. I wondered, do we ever brag on our Heavenly Father the same way that Marley just did her father? When’s the last time we looked at our circumstances and announced proudly, “My Father can do this for me!” or “My Dad will take care of this new challenge in my life.” I wondered when was the last time that I had felt as confident with God caring for me and wanting to show me the right way to go as Marley was with her daddy. Then, a much more sobering thought passed through my mind. When was the last time that something I said about my Heavenly Father made him smile like Marley’s dad just did? Are my words of praise as sweet to my Father’s ears as Marley’s were to hers?