Kathy,

I think we can catch but a small glimpse of how God works things out in us
by our own parenting. First let me state each child , as we, have our own
bent on life, that is some are learners from others, and some are learners
the hard way, some are seeing is believing and others are trusting in the
word of others, each with their own place in life and sometimes both are
good and sometimes both aren't so good. I'll use my son for an example. A
very respectful kid, sometimes can cop an attitude, but hey, he's a late
teen trying to work out his way in life and sometimes his attitude comes
from his alarm clock going off on about volume #1, and he's late for
school thereby earning one detention. And then the next week he has earned
yet another detention from his clock going off at volume #3. The next week
the clock is on #10 blasting away and he just sleeps on. meanwhile his dad
who has need to get ready for work near his room, just lets him quote,
"dream on son, dream on".  So son earns yet another detention leaving the
son well frustrated and not knowing what to do. After all quote, "Someone
is turning my alarm clock down on me"... yeah right hahahahaah. Or "I must
be turning it down in the middle of the night"... hmmm maybe, maybe. Or
"I'm just not hearing it"... no I don't think that is it. Or... stop. No
more excuses. So he goes on haphazardly getting up in time for school with
the occasional detention when he snuggles too close to the line, and
meanwhile as I get ready in the morning,  only feet from his room, let him
"quote, sleep on my boy sleep on". But, isn't that kind of mean? No. See
I've done the bit of waking him up on time, telling him all the wisdom in
getting up in time, and all that stuff, he knows it. And. The real issue
is he doesn't want to get up. He has no problem getting up at 6:00 to go
to breakfast with one of his buddies, or 5:00 to go fishing, or any of
that. So   I give him opportunity to work it out for himself, learning
what he can along the way. It seems mean, it seems unfair because I'm in a
position of doing something about it but I don't, and yet even though he
may not see it, it is best this way. Much is the same I think with us
being child and god being father. So instead of us looking to see why God
didn't do something about a situation, perhaps we ought look to what we
are to learn, or what we can take from a particular situation and grow
from it.

Brad