Oh Baby, Baby (Re-post)

They are highly dependent creatures. They are the most demanding. They are very self-centered, unyielding until they get your full attention. They can be very irritating specially when you have a job the next day but you haven’t taken even a forty winks at night because it is during the darkest hours that he is most alive and kickin’.

They are new born babies, that is.

New born babies have the power to paralyze a person’s physical endurance and drain emotional energies away. But despite the complexity of having a baby, why do married couples still choose to have a child if it is a given fact that babies are experts in ruining the serenity of their home and will drastically change their lifestyle? Why do we, adults, still consider them cute despite the fact that their hobbies generally revolve on crying, sleeping and drinking milk?

The answer is simple – LOVE.

To parents when a baby is born the word “sacrifice” suddenly has a new meaning. Sacrifice is often associated to pain, misery, difficulties, hardship etc. It is. But because of love sacrifice becomes the most important word, so beautiful that parents are willing to give their whole lives for their infant. To the toddler’s parents to grandparents to relatives to neighbors to strangers, babies bring great joy.

Why am I suddenly talking about babies?

Last week, I read a short essay about a soon-to-be father. Before his baby is born he and his wife bought the best crib that their money can afford and decorated it with cute little accessories. The couple was so excited but when the infant finally came out of his mother’s womb, the baby didn’t appreciate the crib. The amount of the crib didn’t matter. Instead, the baby enjoys the bed where his parents sleep. The middle part has become the baby’s official territory.

Last Sunday while my family is on church, we were seated behind a young family. The couple has three children ages 2 to 6 I think. The youngest really caught my attention. The baby boy was so playful as if the priest didn’t exist. He was so unmindful of his environment. For half an hour he just played. When he got tired of playing, he craved for his parents attention. His mother gave him a snack and his father cuddled him in his arms.

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For babies and young kids, the amount of any material things doesn’t matter. A holy message isn’t important too. They just want to be loved, naturally - a love that is connected with time and attention; a love showed through warm embrace and sweet kisses. For them, abundant life is not about having six digit numbers in bank it’s about being loved. And for parents loving his children means happiness.

I am no longer a baby (physically). I value some sort of independence in my life but of course I still depend on my parents love and support – morally and sometimes financially, hehe! I no longer crave for my parents’ hugs and kisses but once in a while I miss it. Maybe because in my mind I’m still their baby and perhaps will always be. And I am thankful that though I have changed a lot my parents don’t.

Like our parents in this world, God is our parent too and the entire humanity is his babies including those who have just celebrated their 75th birthday. He looks at us as a newborn child longing to be cradled in his arms. As a matter of fact when life gets tough, God is always there to give us comfort; to shower us with love. And when life is at its best, I believe God also rejoices in heaven. There are times, however, that we don’t feel God’s presence. We sometimes think that God has changed because we’ve changed.

Infancy is the first stage of human development. We grow and age as time passes by. Soon, we become 5 feet taller (ouch) or more. In a little while we often find ourselves spending more time with friends. After college we become too preoccupied with work and thus we sometimes forget that there is God who loves us so much. When problem suddenly arises, we think we are being punished for the things that we did and didn’t do. Circumstances can't change the character of God. God has always been there. Though he looks at us like a newborn child, sometimes he allows us to be independent so we could make use of the blessings that He has given us like our intelligence and multiple skills. He wants us to enjoy freedom – the freedom to choose what kind of life we want to live. God also wants us to grow spiritually and emotionally so we could also learn how to love. Unlike newborn child and young kids, adults have the capability to understand the value of sharing and loving others. God wants us to experience the beauty of loving. Perhaps, that’s also one of the reasons why babies also need to grow.

Are you still the person I describe in the first paragraph? Or a baby who also desires to experience the beauty of loving?

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Posted last 6/16/09