Lessons from Potty Training: The Importance of Trusting God’s Timing

We are currently potty training our toddlers, and it has not been the easiest of experiences! A friend suggested trying “potty snacks”—a reward system where they get a snack they love each time they use the potty. Surprisingly, it has worked! But, as with many things in life, it has worked a little too well. Let me explain.

My kids now want to use the potty all the time, sometimes every 10 minutes, just to get a snack. They will strain to squeeze out even a drop of urine and then happily shout, “I did it! I want my snack!” I usually give them candy as their potty reward, but realizing that this is unhealthy, I’ve had to say no occasionally or postpone their snack. Needless to say, they don’t like this, but I know better than they do at this stage.

In a similar way, sometimes as Christians, we read scriptures like Deuteronomy 28:1-14, which lists the blessings for obeying God, or John 14:14: “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (NKJV). But when we enter a season of life where the things we’ve been praying for aren’t coming to pass, we wonder, “God, we’ve done what you asked us to do, so why aren’t you keeping your end of the deal?”

The truth is, God often sees farther than we do. Some of the things we ask for may not be what we truly need at that moment, even if they seem good to us. In fact, some may even be harmful. Faith and trust in God means loving Him and believing that He has great plans for us—even when things don’t go our way. As He says in Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (NKJV).

Hebrews 11:6 also reminds us: “But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (NKJV). God does reward us when we seek Him with all our hearts, but sometimes His answer is no—and that, too, is for our good.