Tenacity vs Tree

Being tenacious can be a good thing, don 't you think? Being tenacious can also be a bad thing, do you know what I mean? A few days ago I went on a sunny walk with the littles. Mr J, our 5 year old, decided to do a bit of 4 x4ing on the side of the road and ended up getting tangled up with a West Coast Cedar, which are mighty strong trees with flexible boughs. Mr J desperately wanted to push through the tree, but one branch was inhibiting his progress. All he had to do was back up and he would have been able to get out, but no, by golly, he was determined to break through that branch. Having tried to prune a few Cedars myself, I stood there amused while he grunted and struggled, all the time knowing that Mr Branch was gonna win. After a moment, I suggested that he just back up to get out, and this was his reply " NO. I. WANT. THIS. BRANCH. TO. BREAK!!!" He gasped and struggled for another moment, even got flung to his feet a couple of times when the branch's strength sent him flying backwards. He finally admitted defeat, emerging from the foliage red faced and frustrated. I had been giggling to myself, watching, but at the same time this incident spoke to my heart. My son comes by his ferocious independence naturally. I have a history of running into trouble after going on the wrong path, sometimes a path that looked more fun. It galls me to admit that usually I didn't offer up to defeat easily. It took a lot of pushing, shoving, groaning, frustration, crying and anger on my part before I went the way I knew I should have gone in the first place. At times I ignored other Christians gentle suggestions. A couple of times it has taken me getting thrown FLAT on my face before I gave in- All because I wanted to go MY way, instead the Lord's. It has never worked yet. My rebellions are now quieter, but I still find them in my life. Sometimes it can be seen in the form of gossip, TV viewing, doing other things instead of my morning quiet time.... I am thankful that the Lord gave me the image of my little determined boy fighting with that big tree to remind me of how He must often view me. How about you, can you relate?