Lint from the Carpet (or...my first blog ever)

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(March 24, 2006)

I'm sitting in this chair, watching my 9-month-old play on the floor. If you haven't spent much time around babies, don't worry - that's what they do. They play on the floor. All day long. When they're not eating or sleeping.

Anyway, in my motherly opinion, this child wants for nothing. Within arms reach of her are any number of fantastic, brightly colored toys that blink, buzz, play music, squeak, do your taxes... but she insists on shunning them all in favor of tiny little pieces of lint from the carpet.

No! I tell her. Stop it! I tell her. Lint is bad! Lint can kill you! Choking! Death! Look at your toys! Look at all I've given you! But she just looks up at me, smiles, waves, and starts searching for more lint.

And I'm struck by how much my baby & I have in common. (outside of the obvious DNA similarities) I mean, isn't that the same interaction most of us have with God on a daily basis? God is shouting at us all day long - LOOK! Look what I've given you! Freedom! Grace! Love! Beauty! Forgiveness! Redemption! TurboTax! And we're like, uh, yeah thanks God, but I'd rather play with this lint. Oh don't worry, I won't choke, I know you're there to stick your finger in my mouth & pull it out... Just let me be ugly & self-absorbed, let me beat myself up for my lack of holiness, let me try to do it all myself. In fact, just give me a pencil & the 1040 and I'll do my own taxes.

What really blows me away about my little revelation here is the joy I have when my baby is playing with the things I've given her. When she is just beside herself enjoying her gifts. God must feel the same way - but magnified times, well, God. How happy it must make him when we turn away from the lint and embrace the gifts He's lavished on us!

I know I've eaten my share of lint, and I'm sure I'll eat more. Probably today. But I am grateful for this picture He's given me of His better plan for my life.

Comments

Justmatt said…
Its funny - I mean not a ha, ha belly laugh funny, but funny to me. First - remember when Chloe didn't move? She just sat there and ate lint. Ahhh the good 'ol days : ) Now for the good stuff...I am sure that I have read this blog before - probably in March 2006, but I don't remember it. Yet it speaks to me today...that's the funny part. Funny how God does that. Thanks for sharing. Again. Now I gotta go spit some lint out of my mouth...
October 31, 2007 at 3:31 PM
Covered Calls said…
Did we ever tell you just how brilliant and funny you are? We love reading your blogs. D&C
November 2, 2007 at 10:23 PM
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