Mission: Urban

Leading up to and since returning from our short trip to California last week, I’ve been insanely busy, going pretty much non-stop. And since I really need to get to studying and don’t have a lot of time to put together a thoughtful, meaningful post right now, let me just post something that’s quick and incredibly easy to do - let me brag for a minute about my daughter.

When I got back last week from my trip, I was really impressed at how much it seemed like Emerson had learned. I was only gone like 5 days in all, but I guess she’s just in one of those rapid-growth phases, where it seems like every day she’s learning to do or say something new. New things she’d either learned or “perfected” while I was gone included jumping (and actually getting both feet off the ground at the same time), pronouncing most words with a thick southern accent (maybe not a skill exactly, depending on who you ask, but pretty dang cute nonetheless), and a very emphatic “mmm-hmm” to just about any question.

Then, a few days after getting back, we had a bit of a milestone that really got my emotional juices flowing - she moved from her pack-n-play to a regular, big-girl bed. Pretty, pretty impressive, I’d have to say. And so far, she hasn’t really had any major problems with the transition.

So, the other night, still somewhat in awe of the fact that my little girl was sleeping in a regular sized bed, I went in to check on her while she was sleeping. I mean, it just didn’t really feel possible that this could be happening, that she was old enough or mature enough to be doing this. But, sure enough, there she was - tucked in, sleeping perfectly, almost with a sort of contented look about her that indicated she just knew she was big enough to do these types of things now.

Then, as I walked out of the room, like SO many other times in the just over 2 years that I’ve been her dad, God spoke to me - using something I was experiencing with her, to illustrate and open my heart to some truth about His Fatherly love for me: He experiences the same type of joy when I mature, when I grow up, when I allow and invite His Spirit to transform me. No doubt, He loves me perfectly all the time, regardless of where I’m at or how much I may be screwing up.

But what kind of joy is it to Him when I’m growing, when I’m learning, when I’m maturing. And (assuming that this isn’t a heretical thought) what an amazingly comforting thing to think about - another example of how He, our perfect Dad, takes pleasure and finds joy in us, His children.