Today, I was reading a book when my nephew, Matthew, came into the room. He started talking as if we were in the middle of a previous conversation. I was amused to watch him and listen to his thoughtful discussion of a Looney Tunes plot. While he talked, he walked back and forth like a ping pong ball. Matthew never broke his stride nor stopped his train of thought. I couldn’t help but laugh (on the inside of course). Matthew walked back and forth, jumped on the furniture, sat down for a millisecond and then moved to his next step.
He glided along the hardwood floors and followed the patterns in the carpet. I used to do the same thing as a kid. It’s one of those things that kids do because they are mesmerized by shapes and patterns. Matthew passionately retold the entire episode without missing a detail.
The entire time I was thinking about how oblivious Matthew was to his actions. He was focused on his story. Sometimes he was talking to the floor, which made it hard to understand him. Every now and then, I heard a familiar phrase or name.
I wondered if God sometimes looks at me the same way. I am praying and going on about something. Full of energy and nerves, I keep talking without realizing that I am pacing around my house or where ever I happen to be praying. While God loves to hear from His children, I wonder if He chuckles to Himself just like I did when Matthew began his animated retelling of a cartoon featuring Tweetie Bird.
God is a much better parent than I will ever be. That gives me confidence to trust Him and talk freely to Him about anything in my life. And like Matthew, I probably need to stop and listen more too. It is amazing what you can learn by simply listening.
