It was an ordinary afternoon in our house — which usually means at least one child is laughing, another is crying, and someone is probably running through the kitchen with a Nerf gun.
On this particular day, I decided to do something simple to bring a little peace: snack time.
I poured a handful of animal crackers into a small bowl, handed it to one of my boys, and patted myself on the back. Mom win!
Or so I thought.
Thirty seconds later, I heard it — the dramatic, earth-shattering cry that makes every mom drop what she’s doing and sprint to the scene.
I rushed back, expecting spilled milk or maybe a bumped head.
Nope.
It was much more serious.
Through hiccuping sobs, my little one managed to choke out the words:
“There’s… no… HORSES… in the bowl!” 🐴😭
When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned
To him, it didn’t matter that there were elephants, lions, and bears in his bowl.
It didn’t matter that he had a perfectly good snack right in front of him.
All he could see was what was missing — the horses.
As I comforted him, trying not to laugh (or cry myself), I realized something:
I do the exact same thing with God.
How many times have I prayed for something very specific and been disappointed when God’s answer looked completely different than what I wanted?
It wasn’t that His provision was bad — just like those other animal crackers weren’t bad — it just wasn’t what I was hoping for.
And sometimes, instead of thanking Him for what He’s given me, I fixate on what’s missing.
I throw my own kind of grown-up tantrum.
Learning Contentment
1 Timothy 6:6 says,
“But godliness with contentment is great gain.”
Contentment doesn’t mean pretending life is perfect or that we never have desires.
It means trusting God’s heart, even when His answer doesn’t match our expectations.
God sees the whole box of animal crackers.
He knows what’s best for us today, tomorrow, and even in ways we can’t yet understand.
While we’re crying about what we didn’t get, He’s working on something so much bigger — something we may not even be ready to receive yet.
The Bigger Picture
My son eventually calmed down when I explained that while there weren’t any horses in this bowl, there might be some in the next snack time scoop.
He smiled through his tears and decided the elephants weren’t so bad after all.
I wonder if that’s how God feels about us.
He knows what’s ahead, and He’s asking us to trust Him — to enjoy the blessings He’s placed right in front of us instead of fixating on what’s missing.
A Gentle Reminder
The next time you find yourself upset about life not going the way you planned, remember The Great Animal Cracker Crisis.
Pause and thank God for what you do have, even if it doesn’t look exactly how you hoped.
And who knows?
Tomorrow, there just might be a “horse in the bowl.” 🐴🍪
Closing Thought:
Life will always have moments of unmet expectations, but joy comes when we trust the One who sees the whole picture.
God’s plan is always good — even when there are no horses in the bowl.
What Makes My Kids Cry Today 