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Our
family is going through a season of babies. Children having my
grandchildren, a new generation springing to life.
I remember childbirth. It wasn’t
easy, but it was far easier than what began when we got the baby home
from the hospital. I don’t think any parent realizes the time involved
in taking care of the bun-in-the-oven who’s bigger than a bread box.
The sacrifices mothers make
during pregnancy—the sacrifice of our waistlines, our wardrobes, and
our freedom to eat the foods we really love—pale in comparison to the
sacrifices we make once the bundle of joy has arrived. Every minute of
our days is focused on this wiggly little being who has no inkling of
our sacrifice. If our time is not spent actually touching them, talking
to them, and caring for them, it is spent thinking about them, fretting
over them, and talking about them.
Our babies are totally helpless.
And so are we as we’re lured into their world and the spell of their
tender existence. We revise our purpose for living to provide, protect,
and prepare our children to be all they can be. They cry and we rush to
their sides, eager to fulfill their every wish. If they are hungry, we
feed them. If they are wet, we change them—or con Grandma into doing
it. We give comfort and take it. We wrap them in too many blankets when
we venture outdoors. We shackle them into carseats when we drive. And
when they start crawling, we follow their every move to protect them
from stairs, sharp corners, and the consequences of porcelain
knickknacks.
What do we ask in return? We
don’t ask for monetary consideration. We don’t ask for awards or a
write-up in the newspaper. We don’t even ask for a thank-you. All we
expect as payment for our loyalty and attention is their love. And we
aren’t even picky about how it is extended to us. A smile. A laugh.
Outstretched arms. The indescribable moment when their heads rest
against our shoulders. And eventually the most loving words they could
ever say: Mama or Dada.
As
we provide for our children, God provides for us as He protects and
prepares us to be all we can be. What does He ask from us in return? He
doesn’t ask for monetary consideration or
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awards
or a write-up in the
newspaper. He doesn’t even insist on a thank-you. All God expects as
payment for His loyalty and attention is our love. A smile. A laugh.
Our outstretched arms. The indescribable moment when our head bows in
surrender. And eventually the most loving words we could ever say: Father.
Lord.
In this sacred season, give our
Heavenly Father what He wants.
He wants you.
But
from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those
who fear him,
and his righteousness with their
children’s children—
with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.
Psalm 103:17−18 (NIV)
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