Sleepless Love

Tomas opened the door with a smile and I could see Kelly's face peeking over the couch back in the living room. It was good to see our friends. Their eyes looked more tired than usual, despite their warm welcoming smiles. We said hello, slipped off our shoes and shuffled over to the couch to peek at a tiny baby girl curled up in her mother's arms, sleeping.

How do you greet a little baby like that? They seem so fragile and little. I wanted to speak hello in a language she understands, but it seemed impossible with her brand new ears so small. We all chatted as she slept, enchanted by the presence of this new little person as we caught up.

I could tell they were happy to have us over and wished we could stay longer (at least that's how I
would feel if I had done nothing but tend to the many needs of a newborn child night and day). But they also hadn't slept in a week. The baby now sleeping on Kelly's shoulder provided ideal napping conditions, of which they would take advantage.

What sacrifice and attention a newborn must require! What care and provision, what energy and stamina, what surrender and hope it must take to give life to a baby! (It amazes me that so many people have made it through dependency. None of us have been raised perfectly, but we're alive! That's a miracle of love. Someone loved you enough to keep you alive. Wow). When Tomas and Kelly look at their daughter, do they wonder if it is worth it? Do they weigh out how much love they provide for her? When I look at Tomas and Kelly caring for their child, putting aside their entire lives and sleeplessly attending to their newly born, I see Godly love.

I can't believe that I am any less dependent to God than a newborn child. I have so many needs every moment, even needs I don't even know I have. And the amazing thing is that God hears me and attends to me. And not just me, He holds the entire world, the whole universe in his love. There is so much need. There are so many who wake up crying in the night for somebody, anybody to come. And like Tomas and Kelly with tired eyes, God is not far away. He comes close, picks us up, holds us to his breast and comforts us. God's love is a sleepless one too.