I have a new favorite photo. Ok, there are actually 69 photos that Mrs. Sweetie took in rapid succession when I had both of my grandchildren in my lap in a Mexican restaurant in Amarillo, Texas. I still haven’t narrowed it down to one, though I did select one as my new Facebook profile photo.
A lap full of 21-month-old granddaughter and 8-week-old grandson is like a lap full of cats. They are about as easy to hold still as they are to herd! It is especially difficult when said 21-month-old really wants said 8-week-old to be in HER lap. She thinks it is the coolest thing ever to hold her cousin. Since a crowded restaurant is not necessarily conducive to that arrangement, I convinced her to “help” Grandpa hold the baby.
Through the struggles to hold both of them without spilling one or both in the floor AND to let her climb across and kiss him on the forehead (without mashing him), we probably could have created an America’s funniest video. It didn’t take long for Grandpa’s arms to wear out, but I didn’t give up until the little one got fussy and Dad had to come to the rescue.
Can I just say that I was in Grandpa heaven?
It is easy to let my mind wander back to when my kids (her mama and his daddy) were a similar age and shared my lap. I was always happy to hold either of them separately (still would be if they would let me), but there was something extra special about having them together—me loving them, them loving me, and them loving each other. It is still one of my greatest joys to witness my grownup children being the best of friends and loving each other (and now including spouses and babies).
I think God must feel the same way about His kids—those whom He has adopted into His family through their faith in Jesus. When they can share His lap in love and unity, it makes Him smile. When they struggle against each other in sibling rivalry and self-centeredness, when they treat each other with disdain, and when they think it is their right to determine whom He loves most, it grieves His Father heart.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)
“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3)
Our lives matter to God. It is not simply our individual lives that matter, but our lives together. His lap is big enough. His arms are strong enough. Can we share His lap together?
