Becoming a mother has taught me much about God's love for me and my
identity as his daughter. If I can love my daughter, Elyse, so much, how
great must be the love that my Father God has for me. His is a perfect love.
If I want only good for my daughter, how much more does the Lord want only good for
us, His children. Through my day to day experiences with Elyse, I have had many
lessons about life, and love, and God's ways with His children. Here are some of
them.
The Shiny Knife
One day, when Elyse was maybe about a year old, she caught sight of a shiny
knife. Oh, how she wanted to get that knife. She kept pointing, and
"talking", and I could see how wonderful she thought it would be if she could
just get her hands on that knife. Of course, she couldn't have it - what a disaster
if she got it. I realized that sometimes, we too are like that. We want
something so much, not knowing that it isn't good for us. Well, God knows exactly
what's best for us and that is what He wants to give us. Let us trust in Him and in
His plan for us. He is a loving and faithful father.
Visit to the Pediatrician
Another visit to the pediatrician for those vaccinations that are scheduled
every so often during a baby's first years. Elyse couldn't understand why Mommy
would take her to see the doctor. It hurt to have those injections! How was
she to know that they would protect her from serious illness? How was she to know
that something painful could actually be good for her? That it was because Mommy
loved and cared for her that she brought her for those injections? As I reflected on
those visits to the pediatrician, and the cries after the injection, I realized that we
too find ourselves in painful situations that we don't understand. Perhaps only
later will we realize the value of these situations. But let us remember again that
the Lord know exactly what we're going through, and He allows it. Let us trust in
the Lord and constantly recall His faithfulness and great love for us. He can bring
good from these painful situations even when we don't know how any good can come out of
it.
Feeding Time
I remember when Elyse was a little baby. How utterly miserable she was when she
was hungry. How loud her screams! Not until her hunger was satisfied, not
until she was nourished did she stop crying. When she was finally sucking, she
looked so happy, so peaceful, so contented. This is the way the Lord wants us to be,
hungry for the nourishment of His Word, the nourishment of communicating with Him.
May we always hunger for God and His Word. "I open my mouth and pant, longing for
your commands..." Psalm 119:131
Where is the cereal?
Watching Elyse craving for her milk and enjoying her cereal, I was reminded that the Lord
wants us to crave and enjoy the nourishment of prayer, bible study, fellowship and
service. Just as Elyse knows by instinct that she needs this nourishment, so too
should we realize that we need our spiritual nourishment to grow healthy and strong.
And just as I was pleased when she ate more (in variety and amount), so too is the
Lord pleased when we crave and receive more and more of the nourishment He wants to give
us.
The day after Elyse started eating cereal, I came across this passage in the book of
Lamentations 2:12 "They ask...Where is the cereal?".
Many of us do not have to ask "Where is the cereal?". We live in countries
where we are free to read God's Word and gather together in prayer and fellowship.
What a blessing that is! Let us pray for those who ask "Where is the
cereal?". Let us pray for those who live in places where they do not have
freedom and resources to receive this nourishment.
Busy, Busy, Busy
When Elyse started walking, she often practiced and practiced and practiced.
When I tried to hug her, she would squirm away. When I called her, she
wouldn't come. She was just too, too busy. "How like me she is,
Lord", I thought. "You long to spend time with me and I squirm away.
You call me and I do not come. I am just too, too busy. Forgive me, Lord for
the times I have been too busy for you. Teach me to be still and enjoy your
love".
Keep your head up
Practicing to walk is no easy job. What a lot of falls and bumps Elyse had!
But I noticed that Elyse soon learned to keep her head up when she fell.
"Teach me, too, Lord to keep my head up, my eyes fixed on you, when I fall.
Teach and help me to get up and go on".
Wherever you go
Here is a lesson I learned from Ana, the daughter of one of my friends. A group of
friends (together with the kids) and I were going to take a short vacation. The day
before our trip, Ana, had a conversation with her friend who was going on a much grander
vacation and telling her about it. Ana answered, "We are going to Baguio!"
, not at all envious of her friend's trip, & all because she would be going with her
Mom. I think this is how the Lord wants us to be, like a child who is happy to
be going anywhere our Father takes us. Often times we look for things that are
"better", perhaps a service that is more important, a job with better pay, a
chance to be more popular. The Lord wants us to be joyful in whatever
"place" He wants us to be in because that is where He is too. And life is
a journey, isn't it? Sometimes the Lord brings us to the mountains, with beautiful
trees and birds singing, blue skies and flowers... and sometimes to valleys, dark and
gloomy, with only His light to bring us through. Sometimes he brings us to
Disneyland, and all the places we want to be, and sometimes, he takes us just near home.
How pleasing it is to Him if we are joyful to go to either place, just because that
is where he is taking us.
Touching Clouds
Another thing I learned on that trip with Ana was about faith. In the
mornings, the fog would come in the place we were staying in and since fog is not common
where we live, my friend told the kids to wake up early so that they could "touch the
clouds". When they finally experienced the fog, Ana and her friend, Lizette were so
excited, putting their hands out and "catching the clouds." Ana said,
("with a bit of cloud in her hand") - "It seems heavy!" She
looked at her hands and she said her hands got clean! How wonderful to watch the
children play with the clouds and their simple faith in things as touchable as clouds.
