I grabbed a soft tissue and balanced a toddler on my hip, gently dabbing her tears away. Her silky blond hair clung to her moist cheeks. She had latched onto me from the beginning, and was laughing just minutes earlier. Now, however, she was screaming, tears flowing from her eyes, crying for her mother. I told her that, if she was really quiet, she might be able to hear her mother come in the room, since her mother’s meeting was almost over. Thankfully, this seemed to do the trick. She stopped crying and strained her ears to listen for her mom. It was silent, save the occasional hiccup from her earlier crying. Then, softly, she whispered, “I don’t want to be in this cage anymore.” Those short nine words melted my heart.

Now, let me get one thing straight--she definitely wasn’t in a cage. She was in a room surrounded with toys, snacks, and kids her age to play with. But that didn’t matter to her.  All she saw was a door that was closed. A door handle that locked from the inside. A mother that was nowhere to be seen. She was so focused on getting her mom back, that she missed the joy all around her--the things that her mother had purposefully surrounded her with while she was at a meeting.

I'm like this little girl sometimes. Aren't we all? It's so easy to get caught up with what we don't have--whether it’s money, security, or getting into a good school--that we forget about the beautiful things around us. While we're busy watching the closed doors, we miss the doors God is unlocking all around us.

Kayla Joy