Babysitting Malachi

Right now, I am babysitting my little 5-week-old nephew, Malachi, for the first time. (Wait, Audra...so if you're blogging, who's watching the kid?) Don't worry, he mostly just sleeps, eats, and dirties his diaper. He's sleeping now. As long as his tummy is full and his tushy is dry, he's happy.
Watching a newborn is amazing. They're completely helpless, 100% dependent on someone else to give them food when they're hungry, keep them clean, protect them and provide for them. But as long as they have all of those things, they rest more peacefully than any one of us adults have rested in years and years.
I was holding Malachi today for the brief time that he was awake (and not eating), and all he did was stare up at the ceiling (aparently one of his favorite pasttimes, according to mom). He's five weeks old - he doesn't "do" anything - he just "is"...and that's okay! Because I know that someday Malachi will grow up, he'll be able to interact and play, he'll have questions and adventures, and he'll be able to talk to me. He can't right now, but that's no problem. Right now I just enjoy his helpless dependency on me as his babysitter and auntie.
I believe newborns are a beautiful metaphor of the way God looks at us as His children. Without Him, we're utterly helpless - we would die if not for His care. He gives us the food we need, and we grow up fast...perhaps sometimes too fast. As we grow, we learn to communicate with Him and ask Him questions, and He takes us on incredible adventures in faith and life. We may not be there yet, but that's okay. For now He's just enjoying our helpless dependency on Him as our Father.
My prayer is that we don't "grow up" so fast that we forget what it means to remain dependent on God for our every need. Then, like a child who finds fresh excitement in the smallest turning over of a stone, that we'll walk next to our Father into the adventures of life with awe and admiration of Him and His constant care over our lives.