Especially for You

There’s something heartwarming about watching Leah play with things I picked out for her before she was born. When I selected the “theme” for her nursery, I thought it was adorable and hoped, of course, that she would like it, too. Scott and I hurried to get her room ready for her before she arrived, even though we knew that she wouldn’t use it or sleep in it or play in it for quite some time after she came home.

The pictures were framed and hung on the walls…the afghan was draped on the wall over her bed…the stuffed animals were lined up along the back of the chair…all in anticipation of this little person who would be oblivious to their existence for a long time, despite their preparation and eagerness for her to come.

Recently, Leah has become aware of the little special things in her room. We never played up there much, for whatever reason, but are doing so more now; as we do, she is really noticing the things I was so excited about finding when I was pregnant.

As she walks around the room, she sees the stuffed animals and laughs. As I hoist her up onto the changing table, her eyes fall on the pictures on the wall and she points, wanting a closer look. As she waits for me to appear in her doorway, she stands and gazes at the blanket on the wall over her bed and, sometimes, reaches up to see if it is as soft as it appears.

When these little things happen, I melt. I’m so thrilled that she is seeing and loving the things I chose for her. She’s not old enough to have preferences of her own, and we won’t know for awhile still if the decor is anything like what she would have chosen for herself, but for now, she is happy with it. For now, she is enchanted by what she sees. She doesn’t realize the effort and the thought that went into the room, but nonetheless, she likes it.

As I thought about this today, my mind went to the similar feelings God must have about us. God created everything long, long before we arrived here on this earth. The sky, the clouds, the mountains, the flowers, the ocean…rocks…grass…sunrises and sunsets…. He designed it all with us in mind. I like to think that He said, “Jessica will love this flower. I know she will. And this animal? I can’t wait to see her face when she sees it!”

He created every bit of it for our pleasure, though He knew that we wouldn’t be here to see it for a long, long time. He didn’t really even know if we would appreciate it when we did come. All He knew was that He loved us, though we were still just a glimmer in His heart, and that He wanted to surround us with beauty and splendor that pointed us to Him. Driven by that and that alone, He created all that we can see. How thrilled must He be when we look up at the evening sky and allow ourselves to be swept away by the breathtaking array of colors above us? How excited must He feel when we frolic in the waves on a warm summer day? How must He smile when we take time to venture into the woods for peace and solitude and reflection?

Now that Leah is noticing the things around her, and now that I’ve seen her enjoyment of them, there is one thing I still wait for: “Thank you, Mommy!” My heart will sing and swell when she says those words to me one day, thanking me for something – anything – that I’ve done for her.

Don’t you think God would love to hear a “thank you” from you today?

"Ask the animals, and they will teach you, or ask the birds of the air, and they will tell you. Speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea tell you. Every one of these knows that the hand of the Lord has done this. The life of every creature and the breath of all people are in God's hand.” (Job 12:7-10 NCV)