Sleeping like a Baby

The days of just holding you in my arms watching you fall asleep are quickly passing by. I do my best to soak in every moment. But it's not always that easy. I'm a multitasker with a thousand other things vying for my attention. I must fight them off, shutting down their voices by telling them they can wait… dishes, laundry, emails, phone calls, bills to pay… most of those things can wait. The days with you like this are fleeting. Some days, they are only a whisper that I must lean in to hear.

It's true that few things can be quite as soothing to the soul as watching a baby sleep.  The wind rustling through the mountaintop or the waves crashing against the shore does have a way of filling my lungs with new life. But the restful poise of a sleeping baby has a different impact… it reminds me that there is hope yet for genuine peace.

You sleep because you know you are fed. You sleep because your needs have been met. You sleep because you are being held by strong arms. Trust in the one who holds you is not even a brief furrow on your little brow. It's not a question you would consider, even if you could. You sleep because you know peace in a way few adults can embrace.

King David spoke of that kind of rest in the midst of his entire world caving in on him. It was during a time of great turmoil for him that he wrote the words "in peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O Lord, make me to dwell in safety." (Psalm 4)

Little one, the world is full of turmoil. There are so many things that can strip you of the tranquility that once came so naturally to you. But when it all threatens to cave in on you, remember there was a Baby who was born so many years ago who brought peace to the chaos, the heartache, the unrelenting demands of life. If you can but take a moment to gaze upon Him, you can find your rest again.

It's that perfect peace that I see reflected in your sleepy face today – I look and my soul knows hope all over again.

You may also like