Adoration

Katelyn is in such a precious stage right now. Oh, there are certainly moments when she shows a stubborn, almost devious side that makes me want to scream, but for the most part she is just such a sweet, happy, lovable little girl.  She pursues everything in life with wild abandon. She loves her toys, her ABCs, her crayons...and most of all, her family.  If Greg or I come into a room after being gone for a few minutes or a few hours, we can count on hearing a gasp and an excited, "Mommy!" or "Daddy!" while she runs toward us with an enormous smile and arms upraised for a big hug.  I never have to wonder whether or not my daughter adores me.  Seriously, does it get any better than that?

I know this won't last forever.  As we grow we learn self-control, and while I'm sure I'll appreciate that in some areas of Katelyn's life, I know there will come a time when I will miss that wild adoration.  Someday I'll have to settle for an occasional quick hug and maybe a kiss on the cheek.  We grow up to me such mannerly, reserved, stoic people, compared to what we were like when we were kids.  For the most part, I think that's a good thing.  But I wonder if maybe we should show a little abandon and adoration from time to time?

"One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him. Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, 'Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.'" (Luke 18:15-17, NLT)

"For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father." For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children." (Romans 8:14-16, NLT)

As I was thinking about sweet Katelyn last night, these verses popped into my head, and I thought about how we typically approach God: perhaps gathered together in a traditional worship service, in our particular seats, half-heartedly singing old hymns and letting our minds wander to what's for lunch while we politely bow our heads for prayer; or maybe dozing off through our Bible reading before offering some variation of the same prayer we pray every day either when we get up in the morning or before we go to bed; or maybe even approaching God with some trepidation and doubt about whether He'll even hear us, because He is this great, holy, important, powerful being and who are we, really, to bring our petty concerns to Him?  And I wondered if maybe sometimes God wishes we would show a little wild, abandoned adoration.

Well, of course we can't run to God with arms outstretched, shouting, "Daddy!!"  Or can we?  After all, thanks to the price Jesus paid on the cross, we who are led by His Spirit are not fearful slaves but His own children.  He stood in the gap between sinful mankind and a holy God so that we could come to Him as children.  That is the sweet, rich, pure love that He showed for us.  Why would we think that we must always show our love to Him in ways that are unemotional, respectful, traditional, and maybe just a little hesitant?  Last night, as I pictured the ways we so often show our love for God versus the way Katelyn demonstrates her love for me, only one of those pictures brought me to tears.

I don't know about you, but I want God to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I adore Him.  And if that means going a little wild from time to time, I think He might be okay with that.  In fact, maybe it would really touch His Father's heart.