2 Cries, 2 Responses

  "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust."

-Psalm 103:12-13

Merry Christmas!

If you're reading this right now, I appreciate you!

I have a quick story to share about parenting from this past week. Ash cried twice in one night, but for two different reasons.

Cry #1

Ash can still be a bit baby-ish at times. After bath time, she insisted that I put her clothes on for her.

Since she is totally capable of dressing herself, Katrina and I have been trying to be firm about her independence. A fit ensued. She put her shirt over her head, pretended she couldn't find the holes, and started crying because she was cold and I told her that would have been easily resolved if she just put on the shirt.

This went on for maybe an hour and a half before she finally calmed down. We had a little chat, she put on her clothes, and was tired enough after all the crying to skip the rest of her bedtime routine and just went straight to bed.

Cry #2

Maybe around 3am, Ash wakes up. She's crying and coughing in between.

When I went to her room, she was tired and delirious, saying she needed the potty. I carried her to the bathroom, and when she was done, she simply asked to be held. I let her rest in my arms for a bit. She fell asleep there, and I was able to sneak her back into bed.

This got me thinking about how God relates to us.

There are times when we are being stubborn. We want God to do something for us, but He is trying to strengthen us. In those moments of grumbling and disobedience, He is like a firm father, patiently waiting for us to grow.

But other times, God shows us pure compassion. When we are genuinely sick, broken, or overwhelmed, it breaks His heart to see us hurt. He is aware of our frailty.

This is the heart of Christmas. God saw our brokenness and sent His Son. Not just to be a teacher, but to be "God with us." He came to hold us in our "Cry #2" moments and ultimately to save us.

I hope this encourages you today. Merry Christmas again, y'all!