Illogical

While we are not sure if it is a phase or an indication of her little personality, we are certain that Leah is a hoarder. She collects things – anything small enough to fit in her little hands – and treasures each of them as though they are the only things she owns. Rocks, toothbrushes, sticks, acorns….if it is within her reach and is present in any significant number, she must have it and find more and more like it. She is obsessed.

Interestingly, because we love her and want to spend time with her, my husband and I are now obsessed with these things, too. On any given day, you are likely to see one or both of us walking around our yard, stooped over in an awkward position as we scour the ground for acorns or rocks or whatever else might interest her that day. When I was in Belize, I gathered rocks and toothbrushes for my sweet girl because I knew that nothing else I could bring her would please her as much as that would. Wherever I am, I look for the things that interest her because it comes naturally. I love her, and because I love her I am interested in the things that interest her. Because of my love for her, I will do things that are unnatural to me to make her happy. I am a college educated, reasonably intelligent woman, but I walk around hunting for rocks and collecting buckets full of acorns. It is not logical, but it is love. It works out well for her because she gets to spend time with Mama and, of course, gets more and more rocks and acorns and toothbrushes. It works out well for me, too, because I get to spend quality time with my little girl.

The trouble with this habit, though, is that her little hands don’t allow her to hold nearly as many of anything as she would like. If she had her way, she would be able to tote acorns by the thousand and toothbrushes (yes, toothbrushes) by the dozen. Instead, though, she is severely limited in what she can carry around at one time, and this is very frustrating for her. She tries to carry her treasures and simultaneously gather more, which inevitably leads to an avalanche as everything falls to the ground. She can’t handle it all, and when I see her struggle, I have to step in. I have to help.

We’ve done different things to help her with this. My husband introduced her to the concept of pockets; this naturally made my work with the laundry more interesting, but it made her task of hunting and gathering easier. We’ve given her different bags and buckets to carry her treasures in, and at times have our own hands and pockets full of the things she’s found. Again, it isn’t logical that two grown adults would spend their time and energy in this way, and it makes little sense that we would voluntarily weigh ourselves down with rocks or dirty our hands with acorns. It isn’t logical, but it is love.

And now…..the parallel.

Has it ever occurred to you how illogical it is that God – the creator of the universe, seen and unseen, fathomable and beyond comprehension – would stoop to involve Himself in the mundane things of our lives? He is Almighty. All powerful and all knowing, He can do anything and be everywhere at all times, and what does He choose to do with that power? He chooses to be with us. He chooses to walk alongside us, stooping in awkward positions as He preoccupies Himself with the things that are important to us and getting His hands dirty with the loads we carry. Just as it would be easier for me to sit on the porch and watch Leah play by herself, searching for rocks and struggling with her handfuls of acorns, it would likewise have been easier and more logical for God to stand at a distance as we busy ourselves with the things of this life. Instead, though, out of love and an intense preoccupation with the objects of our affections, He and I both step out of our worlds and into the lives of others. I become obsessed with rocks and gather thousands of acorns, and the God of the universe takes on my burdens as though mine were the most important thing in the world.

It isn’t logical, but it is love.