Thoughts on the age of "Abba"

I was listening to this from Wayne Jacobsen last night after we got home from Disney frenzy day. One phrase he used really stuck with me. He talked about his granddaughter being the "age of Abba," about 18 months old. In other words she was at the age where children would use a word like Abba or Dada.

I started thinking about my own little one who's a little older than that, Toddler Houdini is almost 3. But the point is the same. I really love her. We have great times together. We talk, play, do all kinds of things. Every Saturday, while the other kids are at swim lessons, she and I have some alone time. It's one of my favorite times of the week.

She can't do anything for me. She can't give me advice. She can't drive me around. She can't clean the house. Yet she brings unbelievable amounts of joy to my life. Why? Because she is my girl. The joy I have in her isn't because of what she's able to do for me. My joy in her is because of our relationship.

Same thing is true of how I relate to God. Except I'm the child, and He's the loving dad. He gets great joy from me, even though I can't do anything for Him. I'm beginning to believe, I mean really believe) that His delight in me is EXACTLY the same as my delight in Toddler Houdini. Meaning this: He wants me to hang out with Him, play, talk, just enjoy life in His presence. And I know that when I do try to do something for Him, He's there with an armload of paper towels to clean up the mess.

I think I really like this age. I hope my girl keeps a little bit of it in her heart, even as she keeps growing into a beautiful little girl. And I hope that as I get older, I get less "grown-up" in my faith, and have more of that Abba spirit...

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." Romans 8:15