Learning to be Content Like a Baby

I spent the weekend babysitting the grandkids. We played board games, enjoyed a movie and popcorn, and engaged in their favorite activities—things like collecting and washing their chickens’ eggs, playing with their 70-pound Great Pyrenes puppy, climbing trees, building a make-believe airplane from a toy lawnmower and wheelbarrow, and more.

My youngest grandchild will turn two next month. At one point this weekend, Ruthie dragged her blankie across the living room floor and climbed onto my lap. “Do you want to snuggle?” I asked.

She nodded. I wrapped her in that blankie and cuddled her, and she smiled. I could feel her body relax in my arms.

Rest in the arms of our heavenly Father

Oh, that I’d become more like my granddaughter and learn to rest in the arms of my heavenly Father as she rested in mine.

The Psalmist moved beyond desire to experience. He wrote,

“God, I’m not trying to rule the roost, I don’t want to be king of the mountain. I haven’t meddled where I have no business or fantasized grandiose plans. I’ve kept my feet on the ground, I’ve cultivated a quiet heart. Like a baby content in its mother’s arms, my soul is a baby content” (Psalm 131:1-2 The Message).

It’s easy to whine when circumstances don’t go as we wish, or when we feel misunderstood and overlooked, or when someone utters an unkind word. But then—if God is who He says He is, and if His promises are true, and if He never fails to fulfill them—why do we worry or assume the worst?

Why do we think He needs our assistance to fix a situation that seems all wrong, at least from our perspective? Why prevents us from resting in the love that envelops us?

I suspect it’s because we allow our humanity rather than the Holy Spirit to fill and control our minds. When that happens, contentment flies the coop and we succumb to negative emotions.

Cultivating a quiet heart is a much better option, don’t you think?

Personally, I strive to do this by spending time alone with the Lord daily. I talk with Him about everything throughout my day. When I catch myself complaining about something, I reframe my thoughts by finding something for which to be thankful.

I often pray,

“Search my heart and show me anything that grieves You. Give me a heart that runs the way of Your commands.”

Keeping my heart aligned daily with God’s heart calms me. It helps me nestle, not wrestle.

I’m grateful for my grandchildren and the lessons they teach me. Like a baby content, so I want my soul to be content, relaxed, satisfied, and completely comfortable in my Father’s arms.