A little girl named Zoë faced a frustrating challenge when she just wanted to carry two shopping baskets down the grocery aisle. It sounds like a basic task but the handles make it tricky even for adults. The way she solved the problem has amazed nearly half a million people online.
During this toddler grocery shopping trip, Zoë starts by trying to grab both baskets at the exact same time. She quickly realizes it is not that easy to manage them together. So she stops and makes sure to hold the first basket correctly. Then she tries to hold the second basket but the two handles resting at its edges make it much harder.
I am sure many of us have wrestled with these exact same baskets and got frustrated when our attempts failed. But this little girl doesn’t give up. She stares down at the green baskets and comes up with a clever idea.
Instead of trying to grab the handles from the outside, she carefully moves the handles on the second basket to one side so they are close together. She reaches down and grabs them in one solid grip. It works perfectly. The baskets finally stay balanced and she marches proudly down the aisle to finish her shopping.
Usually when kids struggle with something we immediately run to help them. But I appreciate how Zoë’s family let her work out the problem by herself. It is a beautiful parenting lesson. When we give our children room to figure things out, they grow more confident and independent and they are better prepared for the challenges life will bring.
Isn’t that the same way God shapes us? Nobody enjoys going through hard times but sometimes God lets us go through them to build our faith and strengthen our character. And when we come through them, those temporary tests become lifelong testimonies.
“And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3–4, NKJV)
WATCH: Little Girl’s Problem-Solving Skills With Two Grocery Baskets Are Really Impressive
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