Recently we took a trip to San Francisco to visit my
brother-in-law. It’s always nice to get
away and to take a break. We made sure
that we took advantage of the nice weather and unique opportunity to do some
things we normally wouldn’t get to do.
One of those things that we had planned and were looking forward to was to take our son, Declan, to
the beach for the first time. We have had some other opportunities to take him to the beach but we thought that he would be too young to really enjoy it. He is
nearly two now and we thought this was a great chance to see how he might react to
something as different as the sand and the waves. All week we had been telling him about the beach, and waves, and the seashells. He seemed to understand we were going to be doing something special that day.
If there is one thing from this trip that I will
remember for a lifetime it was watching my son take in the beauty of a beach
for the first time. As we set him down
in the sand up on the shore, he ran with reckless abandon toward the waves,
screaming at the top of his lungs with sheer exhilaration and excitement.
Each time he did this, it was apparent that he was
loving it more and more. And my heart
was so full to watch him enjoy something so much. Just thinking about that moment fills me up
so much that I can’t remember any of the negatives about having a toddler. The frustrations, stress and anxiety are
washed away by waves of happiness and joy to watch my son experience something
so wonderful.
As I have been thinking about that day and those
moments, it’s got me thinking, what must it be like for God to watch us
experience this life? The overwhelming
emotions I felt came from somewhere, and my guess is they came from Him. We are made in His image and so I believe that
He feels the same sense of joy and wonder when we enjoy this life He created
for us.
The Apostle Paul reminds Timothy and his congregation
that they should put their faith and hope in God, “who richly provides us with everything
for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17b). Our
Father loves to see us enjoy the world He has created. It brings Him great joy and pleasure to know
that you are having the time of your life.
Maybe it’s time to quit worrying about the
negatives, the frustrations, or our fears.
Maybe it’s time to open up our arms wide and embrace each day with
reckless abandon – enjoying everything that God brings our way. We need to stop focusing on everything that
could go wrong and truly enjoy the beauty of the life He has given us.
