What struck me most from watching the family was the affection one of the boys had for his dad. The parents had strategically placed the boys on either side of them. The "middle" boy, who appeared to be the more rambunctious of the three sat on the father's left and the older boy sat on his right. I watched as the father would scold the one on the left for being restless and talking too much during the time of prayer, and the child on his right sat totally at peace nestled up against his chest. I caught moments where the affectionate boy would stare up at his dad and smile, and when the father knelt down to pray, he would follow. There was a clear infatuation there. The boy wanted to be just like his father and do just what he did. Though I am confident that the love the father had for the two boys was the exact same, there was a clear deep bonding between the father and the son who held him in such high regard.
As I watched this scene play out in front of me, I started thinking about my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I firmly believe that no matter what I do and no matter what I say, his love for me is unchanging. However, I wonder if I'm sometimes more like the restless child who keeps talking when I shouldn't, endures discipline, and disregards the loving father looking down at me. I so want to be the other child. I want to look up proudly at my Father and desire to be exactly like Him. I want to do what He does and I want to lay my head on His chest. I want people around me to see and notice the love I have for my Father, and be impacted by it.
I was deeply encouraged today. I not only saw the love the child had for his father, but the pleasure the child's love brought to him. God will never force us to love him or spend time with him or even know Him. It's simply not in His perfect nature to do so. But I believe he finds great pleasure when we do choose to love Him, and to listen, and to lay our heads on His chest. And how much greater is He than an earthly father whose love is not perfect and who will inevitably make mistakes in their relationships with us. In my relationship with God, I'm going to keep desiring to be like that little boy - loving, caring, affectionate - the daughter He looks on with a smile.
