She said it out of the blue and it totally caught me off
guard. However, one of the things I continue to learn is that when things
appear to have been said out of the blue, they are often said out of the heart.
We may think it is random but there can be great intent, meaning, and even
power behind it.
I was helping Annlyn get ready for bed the other night.
The day had been a good day. The girls told us all about their time at daycare,
their friends, what they had for lunch, and how much they enjoyed the green
peas at supper. After giving baths, I was helping Annlyn put her pajamas on and
she looked me square in the eyes and said, “The world is bigger than our house,
right, dad?”
Again, I tell you, it caught me off guard. I was not sure
I heard her right so I replied, “What was that, honey? I’m sorry, I don’t think
I understood what you said.” And she said it again, “The world is bigger than
our house, right, dad?” Turns out I heard her words right but did I hear her. I responded, “Yes, sweetie. The
world is much bigger than our house.” She put on her pajamas and ran off to
play with Eva for a few more minutes before bed.
As she bee-bopped down the hallway, I began thinking
about her question. I began to wonder where it came from and why she said it. I
began to ask questions of myself and of God. Something about it stuck with me
that night and the next day, and the next day, and even today. “The world is
bigger than our house, right, dad?”
To Annlyn, her whole world is in our house. Her family.
Her toys. Her clothes. Her dog. Nearly every physical item that is precious to
her and her dearest relationships dwell within the four walls of our house. But
as I thought about what she asked me that night, I have come to realize what
she was saying – though she may not, in her five-year-old mind have realized
it. She was saying that there is much more to the world than what I can put
into these four walls. There is more to the world than me and my stuff. There
are times in life when we need to hear this – and from the lips of a child, no
less. The world is much bigger than me, my stuff and the things that are
important to me.
As I have thought through what it was Annlyn was really saying that night, I have come to
think about love. Love sees beyond the four walls of our own lives into the
bigger, broader, and brighter world of humanity. Love keeps our eyes focused on
the God who sees all, knows all, and is working to redeem all through the love
expressed in Christ Jesus.
During the month of February, our focus is typically on
love. Cards fill the stores where balloons reach high enough for everyone to
see. Balloons that are shaped like hearts that are complete with an arrow from
cupid through them. There are chocolates, stuffed animals, and jewelry that all
represent gifts of love.
Love is for sale while the deeper questions that surround
love still linger around unanswered. These deeper questions about the
foundation of love, the purpose of love, and the living of love are where the
heart of the Christian believer should keep us grounded in our understandings
of love. It is Annlyn’s question the other night that has had me thinking about
these questions and pondering them in my own life.
When we think about the foundation and purpose of love,
it seems the answer is very straightforward. Love sees the world as being
bigger than our house. Love sees beyond ourselves, our stuff, our story, our
belongings, and the things that are important to us. Love sees beyond who we
are and what we are doing and where we are going. Love is not love unless it is
grounded in the reality that there is a whole other world other than ourselves.
Love is not love unless it is unhindered, unleashed, and undivided.
Love does not have an agenda. Love does not seek a
reward. Love is not about reciprocity. If love were about those things, then it
would be shrunk back to the boundaries of our own lives. But love is beyond all
of that. Love is much, much more. Love is much, much deeper. Because love comes
from God.
The bible is chock-full of passages that describe the
love of God. How “God demonstrated His own love for us that while we were
sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). How God’s love is “wider,
deeper, higher, and longer than we could ever imagine” (Ephesians 3:18). How God
“will create calm with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah
3:17). How “God has remembered His loyal love and faithfulness to the
house of Israel; every corner of the earth has seen our God’s salvation” (Psalm
98:3). How “God so loved the world that He gave His only son that
whoever would believe in him would not die but have everlasting life” (John
3:16).
Each one of these passages – and the countless others
like them – the realization is that love is always beyond itself. Love gives.
Love restores. Love is always about something bigger than our own world. When
we seek to walk in the light of the love of God, we are opening ourselves, the
very depths of our soul and being, to see beyond who we are, where we are
headed, and what we possess. Thus, love pushes us to see things from the
perspective of God.
Since that night when Annlyn’s statement opened my eyes,
things have seemed different for me and for her. I have been looking up and
seeing much more going on. Annlyn – though she likely does not realize it – has
seen more as well. The morning after she said what she said, I was walking into
the daycare to drop off all the kids. Under one arm was Caulder in his carrier
and in the other hand was his bag with bottles, clothes, and what he needed for
the day. In front of me were Annlyn and Eva each holding their coats as they
skipped down the hallway. Annlyn looked back at me, noticing I was carrying
several things and said, “Dad, would you like for me to carry Caulder’s bag?” I
said, “Yes, Annlyn. That would be great! Thanks, sweetheart.”
When our lives are grounded, rooted, established, and
built on the love of God, we see so much more. We see things we have never seen
before. The eyes of our hearts are pulled upward to see a landscape of life
where God is at work. Then, we turn our eyes heavenward, and pray with a smile,
“The world is bigger than our house, right, dad?”
Love….
-Andrew
