Granddaughters

Our granddaughter has been here for the last two days. She turned one yesterday, and we took her and her parents to the zoo in Waco, TX. Today my parents drove down with my sister from Dallas and we had a bit of a party. Of course, she was more taken with the wrappings than the presents, and she fell asleep in the middle of the meal. These two days have been a delight with her. I've noticed that apparently grand-parent malady that her smile addictive. I will gladly do more and more silly things just to get that little ray of sunshine to brighten our faces.

The thing is, at one year old she's able to respond, and takes delight in doing so. At earlier ages (and we all went through this with our kids, but mostly too anxious and burdened with responsibility to even notice) she was a whole lot more just a loud noise at one end and no responsibility at the other. But as she matures and grows the intensity of life within her takes on the shapes and contours of her own budding personality. It's like watching a butterfly emerge from its crysalis and unfolding its marvelous wings. Sometimes the picture isn't the brightest or the most rewarding, but it's all just marvelous and wonderful and brings joy to a grandparent's heart.

Maybe that's the way the heart of God is. Maybe our ruts have a way of making us spiritually infantile, hiding our true nature beneath layers of carefully laid inattentiveness. Maybe as the vagarities of life strip away the layers of pretense and pride, of insecurity and even presumed nobility we begin to emerge as the beings we truly are. Maybe as the intensity of life within us expresses itself in the shape and contours of our souls that God takes as much pleasure in us as we do in our grandchildren. Maybe.....