parallels with baby

A good friend of ours, Jamila, and her daughter, U'ilani, came and spent Thanksgiving with us. I love them so much and was so happy to get to spend time with them. Of course, U'ilani (who I usually call "Baby"), is at an adorable age right now, being 1 1/2 years old. I spent most of my time with her over the holiday, and so I now have some spiritual parallels to share.

                     

One of my favorite things to do with Baby is to swing her high up into the air and watch the smile on her face. I never let go of her, but simply listen to her adorable giggles and laughs, and I laugh along with her. She's completely unaware of the danger she is in. Potentially, I could drop her. I could throw her. But the thought never even crosses her mind. Why? She trusts me. Because I have never dropped her before, she believes that she is safe. God has never let us go; even when it feels like we're being thrown, trust that He has it all under control. 






Near our Thanksgiving table sat a small space heater. It was hot, but not hot enough to burn at a touch. U'ilani walked over to it, at which point we told her, "no." She listened hesitantly, and walked away. She came back a bit later, we said "no" again, and again she obeyed, though slower than before. Once more she came back and looked at the heater. She knew that we had told her it was dangerous and bad. But she reached out and touched it, and immediately recoiled her little hand. She began to cry, and we were all sad, but we knew that she needed to learn the lesson, even if it required pain. We knew she would not be really hurt by this heater, but if she didn't learn her lesson now, she could be seriously burned by a different one. Sometimes, we go through pain because God is saving us from something else. Severe mercy.

U'ilani spent probably thirty continuous minutes working on buckling the snap-in buckle on her booster seat. I just sat next to her and watched, occasionally giving her little hints such as flipping the buckle over or turning it around. However, she almost always turned it back to her own way, which I knew would never work. God knows so much better than we do; let Him guide us. 
Finally, she became so discouraged that she fell down on the floor and started crying. I knew she hadn't listened to my advice or heeded my direction, but I also knew that she simply felt defeated. I grabbed her up in my arms and comforted her until she felt ready to try again. Even though we don't deserve it, God is always ready to comfort and forgive. 

U'ilani would hop out of someone's lap and set out to explore. I would follow along behind, making sure that she stayed out of harm's way. She might not realize that the wooden arm of the couch was just at her face level, so I was there to move her aside. She might not know that the stairs are too dangerous for her, so I was there to change her course. She might not remember how to find her mom again, so I was there to take her back. She didn't know I was there, but I was keeping an eye on her every step. From her point of view, she might have thought she was alone and forgotten, but if she simply called out or looked around, she would have seen me with her all the way. God does not desert us; He will never let His child fall outside His sovereignty. His love is greater than all.