When you are six, learning to whistle is a big deal. When you are six, learning to snap your fingers is also a big deal. And may I remind you that when you are six, losing your first tooth is definitely a big deal?
So it was that we received spirited updates on all these major life events from Emma, who is indeed six years old. As we listened in person or on FaceTime, we heard her snaps grow louder and her whistle less airy. We watched as her tooth grew wigglier and wigglier.
But on FaceTime—or any time—nothing was wigglier than Emma herself. She bopped, blinked, and bounced in a blur. Keeping her inside the phone's camera frame was not possible. "Now you see her, now you don't" comes to mind.
Emma's eight-year-old sister, Ava, observed all of these shenanigans. Being much more of a cut-to-the-chase kid, her capacity for these antics had maxed out. One famous FaceTime conversation found Emma in the middle of her ants-in-the-pants performance when Ava blurted, "Will ya just stand there and talk?!"
We shared a good laugh, and while Emma did not settle down, a question settled on me: Does God ever feel that way about us?
Does He ever watch us crushing our jobs, rushing our lives, and want to say, "Hey, you! Will ya just stand there and talk?!"
But we're "busy," you see. Busy about too many things that won't matter six weeks from now, let alone six months or six years. And these things that don't ultimately matter keep us from the only things that do. Like prayer.
The King of kings and Lord of lords desires an audience with you. Every. Single. Day. With check-ins throughout the day!
Hey, you! Will ya just stand there (or kneel there) and talk?!
Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
– I Chronicles 16:11
Photo by Karoline Lewis on Unsplash