Weekly Words

Too Grown for God?

One of my favorite keepsakes is a photo album that captures many of the intimate moments that my son and I shared sleeping together. From his daybed, to couches and loveseats, to my bed, Bryce is found throughout his infancy cozily nestled in my arms in a state of unconsciousness. These moments are some of the most cherished instances I have as a parent. From birth, I have always been mesmerized by Bryce’s preference for sleeping in my arms than in a bed, bassinet, or a crib. As an adult who prizes personal space, room, and freedom, I find it baffling that my infant child will sacrifice all of this so that he can be held. Yet, time and time again, Bryce sleeps better, longer, and more secure when he is nuzzled next to me.

As Bryce has moved from infant to toddler, things have begun to change. Though Bryce still likes going to sleep lying in my arms and on my chest, as he begins to finally doze, he sometimes prefers to move onto the bed by himself. In fact, the other day I saw Bryce was getting sleepy and I picked him up thinking I would gratify him by holding him close to me and allowing him to fall asleep cuddled in my embrace. To my surprise, Bryce pushed me aside and reached for my bed. I placed him down and said to myself, “Oh, you are getting too grown to sleep with daddy?”

As my sermonic antennae went up I began to reflect on how much we could learn from the sleeping preferences of infants. Whereas biologically children should grow out of infant sleeping patterns, spiritually we should grow into infancy in relation to our preference for the proximity of God. In this instance, infancy serves as a model for a healthy spiritual existence. For Bryce, the sound of my heart beating was not a distraction to his rest, but rather a relaxing rhythm of life that soothed him into slumber. The confines of my arms and my chest were not restrictions to his freedom, but rather they served as havens for his comfort and security. Likewise, we must treasure our closeness to God over and against the perceived freedom we seek by distancing ourselves from God. And as we grow in our relationship with God, we should never get “too grown” to be carried in God’s gracious arms and corralled into God’s celestial chest.

Humbly in Christ’s Love,
Pastor B.A. Jackson