He inclines His ear

Last week, the carnival came to Borger!  We have a long history of the carnival in Borger.  But when I saw the Ferris wheel, a plan began to hatch.  We'd planned on watching Ryan & Addie Thursday night while their parents went to worship rehearsal at their church.  I thought it would be fun to take them for a couple of rides.  (The carnival also has a history of being expensive.)  But that day, a storm was brewing in Borger, so we didn't decide to take them until the last minute.  We didn't tell them where we were going but when they got their first glimpse, they were ecstatic!  I quickly told them the plan.  I told them we were only going to ride two rides, so we'd walk through the whole carnival and look at each ride and then they could choose which two they'd each ride.  Pops bought the tickets and off we went.  In the meantime, I'd texted mom and asked if we could also have a treat and she gave permission for funnel cake.  We looked at all the rides and the guys  made their way to the airplanes....

 while Addie & I went to the merry-go-round...

After the first ride, Pops tried to talk them into riding the small roller coaster.  Ryan kept trying to talk one of us into riding with them, but we told them if one of us rode, someone would have to sit alone.  They reluctantly agreed to ride.  (They'd ridden a much bigger roller coaster at Wonderland last year!)  So when they got on, I asked the attendant if I could get up there and take their pic.  I told them to raise their hands like they were riding and I was taking their pic.  Ryan wasn't too sure...

The ride began and I could tell Ryan didn't like it.  He was trying to tell the attendant to "STOP!"  But...because it was supposed to storm, the crowd was sparse and the attendants were giving extra-long rides.  They were champs and I knew it would be the one ride they'd talk about for weeks.  The surprise was that all of the rides didn't require as many tickets as we thought and they could ride one more ride.  But the best surprise came when I told them they could have FUNNEL CAKE!  They don't normally get to eat grains or sugar, so it was a special treat.  Their first question was, "Did Momma say we could eat this??"  

They chowed down!!  (It really was yummy!)  We had to leave quickly because the rain really did come (it always rains during carnival week!)--but it was a fun ending to our time at the carnival.  When we got home, they finished their funnel cake and then got ready for bed. Mom & Dad didn't get home until a few hours later...and wouldn't hear about the carnival until the next morning.

I was downstairs the next morning, but my door was open and I could hear the kids as they began to tell their mom & dad all about the carnival.  They were excited and very animated.  I was laughing to myself because the main topic of that conversation was the dreaded roller coaster.  I couldn't hear every word and was tempted to go upstairs...but I knew it was a parent-child moment.  So instead...I inclined my ear.  I was listening as intently as I could.  I wanted to catch every word and nuance of that conversation.  After all...I had initiated that memory and delighted in that time together...and was delighting hearing them tell about it.

Later, that morning, I was reading Psalm 116:2 and it says, "Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore will I call upon Him as long as I live."  I immediately knew what that meant!  God inclines His ear to me--He wants to hear every part of my conversation.  After all, He created me, He made the plan that is my life, and He delights in me.  He is inclining to hear what I have to say about it.  (He's also journaling about every word I think or say about Him. Malachi 3:16)  He inclines His ear to me.

I began a practice after that day.  I began inclining my ear to Him.  I've always tried to spend time hearing God, but this is different.  I stretch my hearing to heaven to hear what He is saying to me or about me.  After all...He delights in me.  

Amazing what you can learn from taking grandkids to the carnival.