A friend from church is a new grandpa. Isabella is the first grandchild for him and his wife and, suffice it to say, he is over the moon for her. Last Sunday he told me the highlight of the week was holding her while she napped…for hours.
I remember that.
Holding my son, watching him sleep, and being absolutely fascinated.
In love with his little parted lips.
Amazed by his soft puffs of breath.
And simply overjoyed by his peaceful sleep.
My heart would almost burst.
Watching my friend bask in the joy of his granddaughter’s nap reminded me that sleeping babies are a universal crowd pleaser; we absolutely LOVE them! Sure babies are fun when they’re awake–the goofy facial expressions, the funny noises, even the bad smells–but that zen sleeping baby thing beats them all.
And even when those babies start to grow up and walk and run and do things we wished they hadn’t–at the end of the day, when we peek in and see them sound asleep, hair askew, drool puddling on the pillow, our hearts melt, and we practically swoon with love.
I wonder if God feels the same way about us.
After a busy day of watching us do cute things and not-so-cute things and lovingly shaking His head at it all, I wonder if His heart swells the most when we finally lie down and rest. When we stop striving and stop running and just…stop. Does He watch us–with our lips slightly parted, hair askew, doing nothing “productive” at all–and does our heavenly Father suddenly love us even more?
I have a hunch maybe so.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God! – 1 John 3:1
Chewing on Jesus 