On being sons and daughters of God

Leah and I spent New Year's Eve hanging out with some friends of ours from Sunday School. We had a really good time and enjoyed the opportunity to fellowship with and get to know these couples a little better.

Two of the other couples also have young kids and as the evening progessed, the conversation eventually turned to some of the funny things kids do. One of the couples shared a story about one of their kids that I wanted to post here because not only was it really funny, it also was a great illustration of how our Heavenly Father relates to us.

The story goes that one day the mom heard one of her kids (I don't remember if it was the son or daugher) playing and laughing in the nursery so she went in to see what was going on. Was the baby having a good time playing with some of the shiny new rattles and toys that friends and family had no doubt lavished upon it? Nope. When she looked in the nursery, she found her baby sitting in its crib with its diaper off, smearing you know what all over the crib, the walls and itself. Unaware that this was a socially unacceptable behavior, the baby was having a big time playing in its own poop.

How do you suppose she reacted? Was she disgusted, frustrated or anry? Did she walk out and leave the child to clean itself up before it could enjoy her company again? No. Tickled, she called her husband in to check out their child's handiwork, and after they both had a good laugh, they cleaned up their baby and the mess it had made.

I told the husband he'd have to remember that story because he could use it as a sermon illustration some time. You see, I think that must be exactly how God relates to us. How many times do you suppose He looks down at His children, only to find us covered in our own junk without even realizing that in our attempts to find enjoyment and satisfaction on our own, we've just ended up playing in our own "poop." Yet, just like these parents, He doesn't get disgusted or angry with us. In fact, contrarty to what we often let ourselves believe, He doesn't even wait for us to clean ourselves up before He'll have fellowship with us. In His grace, the Father takes it upon Himself to lovingly clean us up and set us back on track, hoping that the next time we'll choose to enjoy the good things He's provided for us.