Do It Again!

In recent Cranford baby news, Eli has learned the logistics of "peekaboo," and Michael and I find it hysterical. He will cover his own face, wait for me to ask, "Where's Eli?!", then swiftly pull the blanket away and with huge eyes, wait for me to say, "There he is!!" I'm fascinated that he has discovered the predictability of it all, and I'm even more fascinated that it never gets old. If I had the patience, he would be thrilled to play the game from morning to evening.

This is why the following quote from G.K. Chesterton hit home with me this afternoon as I meditated on our human nature. While human depravity is sometimes quite overt in our little ones--as seen in the bathtub when great whining ensues after I take the washcloth from Eli--how much greater is that depravity evident in us as parents in the way we respond to our children. As many mothers (including me) struggle with the tedious nature of raising little ones, G.K. Chesterton reminded me of the great privilege of being a parent and seeing in my child a bit of the nature of God. What a beautiful image!

"Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we."