In yesterday’s post we learned of little Elizabeth Anne Nyman’s arrival into her family, bringing the revised count up to 7.These first 24 hours have been like a symphony of praise as we’ve all sent waves of gratitude up to the Lord.

Five-year-old Evelyn is gleeful over the blessing of a sister, and the older boys are finding Elizabeth interesting and appealing.

And then there’s Andrew.

One month short of turning two, he has no idea how his life is about to change, and from his point of view, it’ll all be negative. Visitors will arrive with gifts…. for Elizabeth. The camera will be clicking continually…. focused on Elizabeth. He’ll have to wait longer for his turn…. because of Elizabeth. And he’ll be carried less…. since mummy will be carrying Elizabeth.

Over time Andrew may make objections to these and other changes, but his reign as “the baby” has come to an end. Of course his parents will be conscious of this difficult adjustment, giving him as much one-on-one as they can. Hans said it well, though: “It’ll be the best thing in the world for him.”

Most two-year-olds assume they’re the center of the universe, and there’s nothing like a new baby in the house to teach them they’re not.

Interestingly, we adults sometimes have to learn this same lesson in different ways. When God tells us “no” to something we dearly want, he is acting as our loving Parent and has important reasons why a “no” is good for us. As a result, we may have a toddler-style tantrum – not that anyone can see, but inside our heads.

It’s easy to mentally rebel against a choice God makes for us by determining we’re going to do it our way anyway. But he isn’t swayed by our toddler-like behavior and doesn’t change his mind just to make us happy. Katy and Hans won’t acquiesce to Andrew, either, if he makes unreasonable demands in the weeks to come.

No “demotion” from the place we want to be is without its angst, but in Andrew’s case, eventually he’ll adjust to his revised role in the family and life will get easier for him. Hopefully we adults learn to respond to God’s revisions well, too, so we can escape the harsh natural consequences that often come when we resist.

Yesterday’s post also included the story of our Linnea who didn’t get the baby sister she’d been hoping for but got a 4^th brother instead. Though she fought it at first, it wasn’t too long before she got on board with God’s choice. And two good things came from that: (1) she learned to be faithful in prayer (asking for a sister), and (2) she learned that God does answer prayer, sometimes lavishly! Not too long after she got a 4^th brother, she got two more siblings. Both sisters.

As the old chorus goes, God’s way is the best way.

“Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life.” (Proverbs 10:17)