Let go and look up

I was giving my kids a bath the other morning before work. I had washed the baby girl (21mos) and had moved in general assembly-line fashion on to the 3 year old boy. In the few minutes it had taken me to wash her, he had managed to collect every toy of his favorite color- pink. He was hunched over like Quasimodo with upwards of ten tub toys clutched in his little arms. I continued with our regular bathing process which usually begins with a command like, "Look up at me its time to wash you. Look up and up and up."

So I began with the basic command which did no good because he was so intent on holding on to his things. I warned again and said, "You need to look up at me so you don't get water and soap in your eyes." He hesitated and then obeyed. No sooner had I lathered his noggin and refilled the cup to rinse and he was back in his hunchback stance holding on to his precious pink toys. He didn’t want them to float away. So again the command (this time a bit more stern), "Son, you need to look up at me. Look at my face so I can clean you." This pattern continued 2 or 3 more times until he finally gave in let his toys float free and looked up at me. This learning process was brought about by multiple cupfuls of soapy water trickling down his face into his eyes, despite my best efforts to keep his face from getting soaked.

After I toweled off his little cherub face and began working on the rest of his grubby little body, I was struck with a bit of an epiphany. This incident in the tub had strong parallels to the way we (errr, I) so often approach life.

I forget that God is working on me in my splashy, busy little world. I don’t have time to look up and have my grubbiness scrubbed and rinsed out. I’m too intent on holding on to my things (I forget who even gave them too me). I’m holding on. Don’t want ‘em to float off. Then I’d have to go chase ‘em down again. This is my collection of things; my family, my job, my schoolwork, my entertainment, my precious toys (i.e. iPhone, PSP, Novels, Movies….).

Oh, why am I in here again?
Ah Yes, another face full of soapy water, I remember now....

“Just let go and Look Up, Son. I know what you need. Your things are within my reach and my arms are long. I know which ones are you favorite. I gave them to you remember. If you would just look up you'd remember why you are really in here and WE can work toward that purpose together. I like to see you looking up at me it makes the process easier on you. It upsets me when you get the soapy water in your eyes too. I will not stop cleaning though………, SO just let go and look Up, Son."