Sweet Elijah

I had one of those "gulp" moments today. Most of you probably have another name for it - like "aha moment" or "the light went on". I describe it like it feels to me. Let me go back in time a little bit so you can understand where this came from.

About a year ago, Elijah and I started clashing. It seemed like any button he could push with me he did. This has continued and I have felt really guilty about some of my thoughts. I actually had a conversation with Paul one day and said, "I love Elijah - deeply and beyond words - but I don't really like him right now. I don't think we would be friends if he was our age. He is always loud, insensitive, selfish and whiny."

Okay - if you remember, this is also the boy who also says things like "I love you - wherever you go I go" and "I am going to live here forever." The latter of which he said today - while I was in the bathroom. I told him to wait for me outside the door just so I could have a little privacy (who am I kidding?) and he wouldn't budge. I asked him why he wanted to stay and never leave. His simple response, "Because I love you."

It only took a few minutes for those two scenarios to mesh together, and I gulped. I realized that is what God goes through with us every day. I can be selfish, whiny, unteachable, ungrateful - did I say selfish? The list could go on. What is amazing is that God loves me. He wants to be with me and never leave. I don't even deserve it and could never measure up, but He doesn't ask me to. All I have to do is love Him back. I know this and am beyond thankful, but I was grateful, yet again, for a child's love to put things in perspective.