In the "Now"

I love my children, both of them, dearly.  I want nothing for them except the best.  I want more for them than I have ever had, and more for them that I could even give them...  And then, one of my children asked me the question that I never wanted to have to answer.  It is probably one of the hardest questions a parent can be asked.  This was a question that would essentially require a one-word answer, but not this time.  I could never answer this question with only one word. 

"Don't you want me to be happy?" was asked. 

My knee-jerk reaction is to say "Of course, I want your happiness, above all else I want you to be happy..."  But then I have to realize that more than immediate happiness, I want for my children long-term happiness, long-term joy, and long-term success.  I want these things so much more than any short term "now" happy.  So I have to find a way to answer this question without upsetting too much the balance of happiness versus frustration.  My next thought is "I want your long-term happiness and long-term success WAY more than I want you to be happy right now.  And if ensuring that means that you will be unhappy for a short season to be able to have a lifetime of joy and success, well then strap in my friend because it is gonna get a little bumpy!"  But instead I just say "I do want you to be happy now, but your long-term happiness and success are so important to me too!" 

I am torn as any parent would be.  I wonder if this is how Jesus feels about me sometimes?  I wonder does he gets as frustrated with me when I "want happiness now" instead of waiting a while.  Is it hard for Him to sit back and tell me "NO" when I pray because he knows that what I ask for is a "now" prayer and what he has in store for me is so very much better and grander down the road, even though it will require me to be, perhaps, a little frustrated, or a little put out in the "now".  I also have to wonder how hard it must be for him to say "no" in the first place.  I know I often want to say "yes" to my kids to things in the "now" but I know it is best to put it off for a while in order to teach them some lesson of sorts, and often I have to fight myself to do the right thing.  I wonder if Jesus has to fight it too?  I wonder if he wants so much sometimes to give me what I want, only to have to choose not to in order to help me learn, or to save me from myself later down the road when that "now" thing would have had some damning consequences.  How great is HE!!!

I am so blessed that Jesus does tell me "NO" sometimes, I don't want to hear it usually, but I need to know that he has something better planned for me than what I think will make me happy "NOW!"