I spend so much of my life these days trying to figure out my little girl, that I figure I ought to put this to use...
I think to myself, "What can I learn from watching this little, amazing person?"
Well, lets see...
She can't walk or talk. She tries, haltingly, of late... never successfully making even one step, or much in the way of communication. but she is standing on her own for longer and longer periods of time, and she is SOOOO proud of herself. Once in a blue moon she looks at me and clearly says Momma, or Beau and says Dadda. I have to admit, I get pretty darn excited too. Watching her get excited is pretty awesome all in itself, without the extra measure of pride I feel at her accomplishment.
So, how can I learn from this? Well, there are a few things that stand out. One is that, she is trying all of the time. She makes it her business to learn. She is single determined, and most impressive of all, she is completely unphased by failure. She almost delights in it. She tries to take a step and falls and then looks at me as if to say "Look, when I do *that* I end up on my bottom! or "Look, Mom, I tried to take a step!" She is simply experiencing everything. Granted, some things hurt, but when that happens, she just crawls over to me or puts out her arms to me, and I pick her up, and snuggle her and then point out something else even more fun to play with. Wouldn't it be great if we lived our lives that way? Wouldn't it be freeing to try something and be OK with failure? Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to simply allow ourselves to grieve when we are hurt, and then allow God to hold us and then point us to the place we should go next?
She relies on me for EVERYTHING. Lately, she has taken to striking on solid foods, meaning she's back to nearly all breast milk... a daunting task for a working mommy of a 23 lb. baby.
This one is pretty self-explanatory. If my daughter can trust ME to take care of her, can't I trust my All-powerful God? It would only seem like the logical thing to do... but who said I was logical?
She loves me and she shows it. I feel like I'm bragging to write that, but it's true. Every time I walk in the room or the house, or pick her up, she shows me that she wants to be with me... either it's the hugomungous smile, or the shriek of joy (That's her expression of choice right now), or just putting her hands out to me, or burying her face in my shoulder... that's my favorite, however short lived!
Praise! Of course, more praise! I spend half of my commute home picturing the smile that I will see on my little girl's face when I get to pick her up. My Heavenly Father has told me in his word how much He longs for to me to praise Him. I guess, knowing how much *I* love that, makes it a little sadder for Me to realize all of them moments that I have NOT chosen that.
She trusts me. She will dive off of my lap, SURE that I will catch her and laugh with maniacal glee. She lets me run all OVER the place bouncing her up and down, throw her over my shoulder, and the second, occasionally, when *I* am worried I might lose hold, she doesn't sweat for a second. She is perfectly comfortable in the knowledge that I've GOT her.
Again, I'm feeling sad and a bit ashamed. My daughter is willing to blindly trust me... a woman, who I happen to know is far from perfect, and sometimes hangs onto sanity by her fingernails, and I choose not to put that sort of trust in my perfectly capable God... PERFECTLY capable... not in the way we use that word, but in the true meaning of it, as in without flaw?
Matthew 7:9-11 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
I think to myself, "What can I learn from watching this little, amazing person?"
Well, lets see...
She can't walk or talk. She tries, haltingly, of late... never successfully making even one step, or much in the way of communication. but she is standing on her own for longer and longer periods of time, and she is SOOOO proud of herself. Once in a blue moon she looks at me and clearly says Momma, or Beau and says Dadda. I have to admit, I get pretty darn excited too. Watching her get excited is pretty awesome all in itself, without the extra measure of pride I feel at her accomplishment.
So, how can I learn from this? Well, there are a few things that stand out. One is that, she is trying all of the time. She makes it her business to learn. She is single determined, and most impressive of all, she is completely unphased by failure. She almost delights in it. She tries to take a step and falls and then looks at me as if to say "Look, when I do *that* I end up on my bottom! or "Look, Mom, I tried to take a step!" She is simply experiencing everything. Granted, some things hurt, but when that happens, she just crawls over to me or puts out her arms to me, and I pick her up, and snuggle her and then point out something else even more fun to play with. Wouldn't it be great if we lived our lives that way? Wouldn't it be freeing to try something and be OK with failure? Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to simply allow ourselves to grieve when we are hurt, and then allow God to hold us and then point us to the place we should go next?
She relies on me for EVERYTHING. Lately, she has taken to striking on solid foods, meaning she's back to nearly all breast milk... a daunting task for a working mommy of a 23 lb. baby.
This one is pretty self-explanatory. If my daughter can trust ME to take care of her, can't I trust my All-powerful God? It would only seem like the logical thing to do... but who said I was logical?
She loves me and she shows it. I feel like I'm bragging to write that, but it's true. Every time I walk in the room or the house, or pick her up, she shows me that she wants to be with me... either it's the hugomungous smile, or the shriek of joy (That's her expression of choice right now), or just putting her hands out to me, or burying her face in my shoulder... that's my favorite, however short lived!
Praise! Of course, more praise! I spend half of my commute home picturing the smile that I will see on my little girl's face when I get to pick her up. My Heavenly Father has told me in his word how much He longs for to me to praise Him. I guess, knowing how much *I* love that, makes it a little sadder for Me to realize all of them moments that I have NOT chosen that.
She trusts me. She will dive off of my lap, SURE that I will catch her and laugh with maniacal glee. She lets me run all OVER the place bouncing her up and down, throw her over my shoulder, and the second, occasionally, when *I* am worried I might lose hold, she doesn't sweat for a second. She is perfectly comfortable in the knowledge that I've GOT her.
Again, I'm feeling sad and a bit ashamed. My daughter is willing to blindly trust me... a woman, who I happen to know is far from perfect, and sometimes hangs onto sanity by her fingernails, and I choose not to put that sort of trust in my perfectly capable God... PERFECTLY capable... not in the way we use that word, but in the true meaning of it, as in without flaw?
Matthew 7:9-11 "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
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