Parable Of The Tardy

Mornings are especially difficult in my house.  Getting Ali to school on time is a particular challenge.  The other day was no exception.  In our efforts to get out the door, we never seem to have time to say prayer, so we say a quick little prayer to start the day, while in the van, driving to school.  I know, very lame, but better than nothing.  I should back up and tell you that the school is about 1/2 mile from the house, just through the neighborhood.  It takes about 3-4 minutes to get there, and Ali's first class is all the way across the campus from where I drop her off.  So she is saying prayer and says, "Help me to not be late for school".  I glance down to check the time.  It's 7:43 and the final bell rings at 7:45.  There is no way she is going to make it on time.  She finishes the prayer and like a genius, I say, "You know, the bell is going to ring in 2 minutes and we are about 3 minutes away.  The Lord can do miracles, but we need to do our part too.  We can't waste our time in the morning and expect Him to get us there on time.  It's like taking a test for a class we know nothing about.  We can't expect the Lord to help us get an A on that test if we never attend the class and we don't study for the test.  We need to do our part.  Then we can ask Him to help us remember what we studied, so we can do our best on the test."  I asked Ali if she understood and she nodded that she did.  I then smiled and added, "I'm really glad you prayed for that so we could have this little learning opportunity."  I have to admit I was feeling pretty proud of my spur of the moment parenting skills.  I dropped her off and she headed to the office for her tardy slip.  My pride was quickly put in its place when another thought came to me.  I wonder, when I ask the Lord for those 'off the wall' things I pray for, does He sit back and smile and say, "My child, I'm so glad you asked for that.  Now let's see what learning opportunities can come from that request."