Like little children

The other day, my husband had to go to work early, and our 1 year old was already up. When hubbie said good-bye to me, I got up to get dressed, and the baby was out in the family room playing (or maybe destroying something; there's a fine line with him). When Dada left, I was still getting dressed, and I noticed something peculiar. Davy wasn't crying. He had seen his dad drive away, and he didn't know where I was, or even if I was home, but he didn't cry. Why should he? He trusts us.

It got me thinking: when we don't know where our Parent is, do we trust Him, or do we cry? The Father wouldn't leave us alone, any more than I would leave my toddler to fend for himself; so why, when I feel abandoned, do I cry in fear?

Small children are supremely trusting. They will cry when they have a need, but they don't cry because they fear they will have a need, and that the need will be unmet. It is as though they understand, inherently, that there are things they don't understand. If, for some reason, you take too long to get to them when they do cry, they still cry for you the next time they have a need. And they still come to you for love.

I used to puzzle over what Jesus could have meant when He said we must be like little children. When I actually watch little children in their relationships, though, I begin to think I understand.