When my son, Rusty, was five, he wanted a ball glove. So I took him, and we went to three or four stores to get a glove to fit a tiny hand. No store had such a glove. Rusty was getting impatient. We walked into a drug store and saw one mangy-looking glove on the shelf for $4.95.

Rusty said, "There's one, Dad. Get that one."

I said, "No, Russ, I want to get one that will last."

He said, "No, we've looked, and we can't find one. Get that one."

He started to cry, not a temper tantrum, but one of those pitiful weeps that little kids get. People were coming by, and I know they were wondering what kind of a father would refuse his kid a glove. He was in tears as I dragged him out of the store. We found a sporting goods store with a ball glove for about $10.95. He was elated, and the glove lasted for several years.

Sometimes God lets us go through some hurting experiences in life because he has something better in mind for us.