I had one paragraph left to write; just one, and the report would be complete. Five minutes is all it would take, but five minutes is all a busy two year old needs to be inventive. I typed the first sentence and heard a little voice from the bathroom behind me.

“Toofbrus.”

I typed another sentence and I heard the voice again.

“Potty.”

I wrote sentence three, then four, and FLUSH! The realization dawned: toothbrush + potty = FLUSH. I ran to the bathroom and saw my two year old son looking into the potty, waving.

“Bye-bye, toofbrus.”

(For your information, baby toothbrushes fit much better down toilets than adult ones do.)

What happened? I heard everything he said, but I didn’t listen. I understood each word, but didn’t catch his intent.

Isn’t it great that our God knows His kids so well he doesn’t just hear our words, but reads the intent of our hearts. He skims passed all the excess distraction and targets in on the real trouble: our hearts. Even when we are confused, depressed, or so hurt we have no words to express the depths of our grief, the Holy Spirit interprets our intentions to God.

Romans 8:26 reads, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

Wow, God understands and words are not necessary! Imagine the kind of love holding us. The God of the universe, Savior of the world, reads minds. Ouch – I suppose that’s a scary thought too – especially for me when I’m getting five kids ready for church on Sunday mornings. The great part of it is, he loves me anyway. He loves you anyway.

The next time you feel like screaming for help, remember He already knows. He has your best interest in mind. Only a few verses later in Romans we read more encouragement: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”

“All” means ALL. The iceberg-sized basket of unsorted socks, the massive poopy diaper just before leaving the house, the missing car keys your two-year old is particularly fond of. ALL! There is nothing too big for God or too small. He has placed you in this moment, right now, wherever your particular hiding place that gives you enough time to read this chapter.

It may not feel like He lives in every moment of your stress and blessings, but He’s right there and He’s not only holding you, but teaching you how to be more like Him.