With Reckless Abandon

  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.