Lessons from a Baby: Abundance

Not to brag about my kid, but he amazes me with his generosity. He always wants to share. Whether it's a cup of water, a toy, or a small handful of coveted chocolate chips, he loves offering some to whoever happens to be around.  The funny thing is, I never consciously tried to teach him to share.  We do share things with him, so he sees our example, but I think that there is another factor that also encourages him to be generous - he believes that there is plenty for everybody.

In contrast, our whole culture is structured around the idea of scarcity.  Deep down, we don't believe there is enough for everybody.  So we horde our money, we buy more than we need, we keep to ourselves because we're afraid.  If we are too generous we might not have enough for ourselves.  If we run out of what we need there won't be any more for us when we need it.  The message all around us is subtle but strong - take what you can, because there isn't enough.

But Steven hasn't learned that yet.  As far as he is concerned, there is never-ending abundance.  His cup can always be refilled, his toy basket is always full of toys, and there is always enough to eat, even of special treats like chocolate chips.

I hope that he never learns scarcity.

You see, I believe that scarcity is a lie.  Of course, there are limited resources in the world, and we need to respect that and use those resources wisely.  But the message of scarcity is that we need to grab whatever we can for ourselves, without regard for the earth or anyone else around us.  It promotes selfishness and greed.  The sad thing is, it's kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy, because there certainly isn't enough for everyone to be living like that!  But ultimately, it is a perspective that is rooted in fear.  We believe that we are alone in the world, and that there is no one looking out for us but ourselves.

But our God is not a God of scarcity - he is a God of abundance!  He provides all that we need, and more.  We aren't supposed to worry about how we will live, since God knows what we need and he provides for us (Check out Matthew 6:25-34).

I know that many would protest, "But what if he doesn't provide?  Look at these different situations.  That doesn't look like God providing!"  I know.  I see those situations too.  But here are a couple thoughts.  In North America, it is very rare to actually be without physical necessities.  But because we are surrounded by so much, it is easy for our definition of what we "need" to become warped.  A lot of what we feel like we need may be things that are nice to have, but aren't actually things that we truly need.

Also, while God can and does provide in miraculous ways, even today, often his ways of providing are much more commonplace.  For example, God provides for us through others.  We are not alone.  God designed us to live in community, surrounded by family and friends.  And it is often through those around us that God provides for us.  But because of our scarcity mindset, we are often hesitant to give up what we have, which can mean that someone else is going without.  Our very fear of lack can be what causes lack for others, promoting a cycle of fear and selfishness.  But that is not the life that our abundant God has called us to!

Yes, there are places and situations in the world where people struggle to get what they need to survive, but for most of us that is not the case.  We have more than enough.  But we have to choose whether to have a mindset of abundance or scarcity.  With Steven, let's live lives of abundance and share what we have been given - even the chocolate chips.

Lessons from a Baby: Wonder

One of the joys of having a year old child toddling through your life is that you get to watch them experiencing the world through new eyes.  Steven is fascinated by everything that he sees.  Our walks and other outdoor adventures are often accompanied by a pointing finger and a mouth opened wide to say "ooohhhh!".  It doesn't matter if it's the geese at the park, a person walking by, or rainwater pouring into a storm drain on the road, everything about the world is new and exciting.

He has also learned how to say "wow!".  He says it often, whether he is flipping through the pages of a picture book or playing with one of his toys.

For Steven, the world is amazing.  Dripping water keeps making noise.  Gravity keeps working no matter how many times you drop something.  From the moment he wakes until he falls asleep, he doesn't stop on his journey of discovery.  Every rock must be climbed, every pebble must be tasted.

How different it is for those of us who have made more trips around the sun.  Things that were once incredible become ordinary.  We get busy and rush through life without noticing the things and people that we are passing.

No wonder Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these (the little children).  If we become so bored and jaded in our few short years on this beautiful earth, broken as it may be, how can we expect to fully enjoy the wonder and majesty of the Kingdom when all is restored?

Steven challenges me to slow down and open up my senses once again to the wonder of the world around me.  I challenge you, as I challenge myself, the next time you see a plant growing through a crack in the pavement, the next time you have a chance to splash in a puddle, the next time you are surrounded by your family, let's pause for a moment and say "wow!".

Lessons from a Baby: Determination

As I watch my son learn and grow, I can't help but be impressed by how much determination he has.  When he was two months old, he learned what standing up was.  From that moment on he was determined to learn to stand up.  He would grunt and strain as he attempted to hold his weight on his chubby little legs, and when we would put him down again he would fuss, insisting that we let him try again. 

Now that he has learned to crawl, a whole new world of discovery has opened up to him.  He is constantly trying new things and trying to get to new places.  He is always pushing himself to the limits of what he is able to do, and what mommy will let him do!  While it can get annoying to have to keep distracting him from his beeline to those oh-so-fascinating power cords, I can't help but admire his determination.

As we get older, I think it's easy to lose that determination.  I know there is a lot I want to do - to get outside and exercise, to practice my musical instruments, to review the biblical Hebrew I have learned so I don't forget it all.  But I just don't seem to have the determination to make it happen.  It's so much easier to be lazy, to do things that don't take much work or effort.

But I don't want to be content with mediocrity.  I don't want to let days and weeks pass by without doing the things that are really important to me.  And so I desire and pray for determination, like my baby.  Determination to act on the desires that God places in my heart - to write a letter to that person who has been on my mind, to play music and draw and garden, to build meaningful relationships, to pray and study the Bible, to live a healthy and active life, to sharpen the skills that God has given me, to live a life worth living.

Lessons from a Baby: Crying

God often uses others to teach us, and I think he especially loves to teach us through babies.  Maybe because "The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these".  Maybe because they haven't had the years of building habits and self-defensive layers that the rest of us have.  Babies give us a window into a time when we didn't know many of the things that we know now, and when we knew some things that we have since forgotten in the business of life.

Crying.

Babies cry.  This we all know.  Crying is a baby's way of communication.  Since babies can't speak, and don't even have words with which to understand their experiences, they communicate through emotion.  This can be frustrating for caregivers, especially when it is hard to find out what is wrong, or when it seems that nothing is wrong, and yet the baby continues to cry.  One approach that some parents take to cope with a baby that constantly cries is called the "cry it out" method, in which parents (once the baby's needs are taken care of) just lets the baby cry until they stop or fall asleep.  And this approach does in fact seem to work - studies have shown that babies who are left to "cry it out" spend less time crying than babies who are not.  However, this approach is discouraged by healthcare specialists, for an interesting reason.  These babies cry less because they have learned that no one will come to help them when they cry.  Why communicate that you need help, or just need someone to hold you, if you know that no one will?

I often remind myself of this when I begin to get frustrated because my baby is crying.  Instead of grumbling that once again I am interrupted halfway through what I am doing, or starting to cry myself because I just wanted some sleep, I remind myself to be thankful.  Thankful that my little boy knows that I am here for him.  Thankful that he knows that he will be heard and held and cared for.

I believe that this ties dramatically into our lives as adults too.  As we grow up, we stop crying so much.  We learn words to express ourselves.  We don't have to cry because we are hungry or because we pooped our pants.  (Although, to be honest, I might still cry if I pooped my pants.)  We can explain our needs to others, and we learn to fulfill many of our needs for ourselves.  However, as we learn to speak the language of words and logic, we start to forget the language of emotion.  Then, when we are faced with something that we don't have words for, that we don't understand, or that just feels wrong, we don't know what to do.  Someone very dear to us dies.  We lose a friendship.  We aren't understood by the people around us.  We feel restless, lonely, adrift, brokenhearted.  We feel a deep need to communicate this, but we have forgotten how to cry.

Perhaps one reason we have forgotten how to cry is that we don't really believe that there is someone who will hear us.

The Psalms is the Bible's book of prayers.  There are many different kinds of psalms, but the most common kind is the lament: A prayer that cries out to God, not with logic, but with emotion.  Perhaps there are so many laments in the psalms to remind us that we can cry out to God.  Cry about the loneliness.  Cry about the loss.  Cry about our broken and hurting world.  There is someone who hears us.  We are not alone.