those mitten things...

Everybody tells you, "being a parent teaches you so much about God!" It seems to be this wonderful journey of how God is a father to you and takes care of your every need--every time you cry he just swoopes you right up and comforts you and he would drop everything the moment you needed him . . . nice, it's all very nice and true. The other side of that, for me at least, is that usually when you are learning something about God it's because you are finally coming to terms with more of who you are and as a result you have to turn to him for grace.

So I give you the mittens . . . those little thumbless pouches that you cram the babies hand into. How annoyed and squirmy does she get when we are trying to put them on! She flays her arms about and stretches her fingers out so they won't go on. Half the time she shakes them right off and they get tossed aside and ignored. She thinks she's found her freedom and can finally enjoy an open hand. But we know that she'll go right ahead and scratch her face up. And it's not like she hasn't done it before, she's given herself quite a few marks, she should learn by now. In fact I don't even think she's old enough to have hands yet, she should be growing them in a year or so when she's learned to control them. But we know, we know that for her own good we should limit her freedom and put them on her hands. It's not the most comfortable of things, but in the long run it's to protect her from herself. But just like a typical child, she doesn't know the good we want for her, and she rebelliously shakes them off and goes about scratching her face up....

And at every instance we get, even though it's our care that she's spurned, we'll comfort her, and then gently try to put them on again. Someday hopefully she will learn to surrender to the limitations we put on her and reside in the mercy and grace of her loving parents.