As most of you know, 6 months ago our second daughter (Greta) was born. When you have your second kid, one of the questions that everybody seems to ask is “Is your other kid jealous?” In fact, even before Greta was born I remember being asked if I thought Emerson (daughter #1) would end up being jealous. And (not intending any offense at all to any of you who may have genuinely asked this question out of love and concern for Emerson) I remember thinking something like “I don’t really think so, at least right now she’s crazy excited about finally having a younger sibling. But even if she does end up getting jealous, who the heck cares?! That would basically just confirm that she really needs a sibling as much as we already think she does.”
So daughter #2 comes around, and what ends up happening? Basically the complete opposite. Emerson is not only so thrilled to finally have a little sister, but what’s more, it seems that seeing us interact with Greta brings Emerson some sort of joy and satisfaction that’s somehow different than anything she’s experienced before. Even when it means that Emerson doesn’t get our sole attention, or doesn’t have exclusive access to play with us like she may have had before, it seems that she genuinely finds great pleasure in seeing us love and interact with Greta. Obviously, there have been a few times when she’s been frustrated because she’s missed out on something because we have to “take care of the baby” or something like that, and I’m sure the frequency of those experiences will only increase as they both get bigger, and at some point I’m sure there will even be serious bouts of jealousy (they are sisters after all). But, overall, I’d definitely say that the joy that Greta brings to Emerson’s life, and especially the joy that Emerson experiences by seeing us love Greta, far outweighs all of that.
As I’ve been struck seeing this repeatedly over the last 6 months, I’ve seen it affect my prayers for our neighborhood as well. I’ve prayed and thought many times “Father, I have no greater desire right now than to see Your love – Your love that has completely changed my life – poured out on this neighborhood, on these people that You have blessed us with working with.” Like the little child who brags about their dad to their friends, I just can’t wait to see these people know and experience my Dad.
This past weekend I got to see the 4 boys we took to camp experience, in grand measure, our Father’s love. It was poured out through His church, through other kids their age (and the leaders who work with them) who are following Jesus.
And it was beautiful. And it brought pure joy to my heart to see it.
1 John 1:3 – 4 “What we have seen and heard we announce to you too, so that you may have fellowship with us (and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ). Thus we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.”
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