Most babies and toddlers love bath time. Even though it usually comes at the end of their day when they’re tired and cranky, being set into a warm, bubbly tub brings giggles and pleasure.
Maybe it’s the special toys that come out only then or the guaranteed presence of a parent’s full attention. What babies and toddlers don’t realize, however, is that the adults overseeing bath time usually enjoy it as much as they do. Birgitta and I look forward to Emerald’s bath like it’s a favorite TV show or an entertaining read.
This 10 month old baby is petite for her age, so her pink plastic baby tub worked for nearly 7 months. That made bath time easy for Birgitta, since she propped it in the kitchen sink and didn’t even have to bend over to bathe her. When Emerald outgrew that tub, she went directly into the kitchen sink, a small space of bubbly water she thought was designed especially for her.
Each evening Birgitta and I watch Emerald learn things that are ordinary to us but extraordinary to her -– like how to pop bubbles with her finger or suck on a wet wash cloth to get a drink. This week she’s learning that running water can’t be held in her hands.
We adults figured that out long ago, but have we realized how the same principle can be applied to grown-up issues? Our natural tendency is to hold onto what is precious to us, even when it’s in the process of slipping through our fingers: our spouses, our children, our youthful vigor, our homes, our health, our opinions, our safety. You name it, and we’ve tried to hang onto it.
But no matter how tightly we squeeze, though, these things gradually slip away anyhow, making us worry that one day there won’t be anything left to hold onto. Thankfully, God has a simple solution for that:
“Let go of everything but Me.”
Just when we feel like everybody and everything is disappearing like water through our fingers, at that very moment God gives us the exact directive we want to hear. “Hold on tight!” But what he means is…. to him.
If we’re willing to make him the only thing we cling to, he’ll turn around and take hold of us with a loving grip so strong it will never let us go. And in the process he’ll also fill our empty places with his airtight promises and sustaining strength.
So, our choice is to go through life’s transitions trying to grab what can’t be held (like Emerald’s flowing water), or we can let go of what isn’t ours to hold onto and hang onto what is: the Lord himself.
Jesus said, “No one can snatch [believers] away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” (John 10:28-30)
