Lessons with Lucy

Lucy is wonderful. She's adorable. She's a mess. She's one.
I've always known that I would learn new things about God in each season of my life, especially with marriage and kids. Though I don't quite have either of those yet, God is good to loan out Lucy as a daily object lesson.

Being around Lucy has given me fresh revelation about the nature and character of God as our Father.  It's so fun to watch Lucy learn: new words, new signs, how balance works, what gravity is all about. She's just starting to stand on her own, wanting to take steps. Today she was so proud when she let go of my hands to show off standing on her own. She isn't always interested in standing or walking. It's hard. She's not good at it yet. But what kind of people would we be if we always carried her around, never letting her get frustrated, never letting her stumble around and finally get the strength to stand? Isn't that the way with God? What kind of God would He be if He just made everything easy, gave me everything I wanted? I would never learn to stand. I would never learn to explore outside the baby gate.

I've also learned some things about perspective. From my great adult height, I can see past what Lucy can see. I can see what things are safe and what are not. I have wisdom she does not: that eating dog hair isn't good and that naps are actually beneficial and not torture. Today she didn't want her bottle. She was crying because she was hungry, but she wouldn't take what I was offering, the thing that would make her full and satisfied! So many lessons about God! He can see far beyond my finite vision. He's knows what is up ahead. He knows how to keep me safe, how to make me thrive! He offers exactly what I need but how often do I refuse it, thinking something else is better?

I've also seen a small glimpse of what God's love for us might be like. Because Lucy can scream her head off, she can bonk me on the head with toys, and refuse to come to me, but as soon as she smiles, as soon as she says "Ahhba", the screaming and the bonking and the refusing fades away. How God must rejoice with us when we finally get something He's been showing us for so long...when we finally unclench our hands and stand on our own, when we take those first wobbly steps into something new, when we trust Him. And then we grin ear to ear like we are such big boys and girls, and God just smiles, saying, "Just wait and see what things I have planned for you."