When You Give a Moose a Muffin

Psalm 17:7,8

Wondrously show your steadfast love,

O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.

Keep me as the apple of your eye;

Hide me in the shadow of your wings.

This past weekend Cas and I were in Tri-Cities for the birth of our newest grandchild. Madden Wesley Hershberger made his

grand entrance in the second hour of June 3^rd. My job was to care for his two-year old big sister during this time, and I spent the hours doing all the things that a two-year old wants to do. One of her favorite things to do is to read books and her parents have made certain that she has plenty of options; I would say that they easily have assembled a library of seventy-five or more titles that would appeal to her interest.

She grabbed a book and handed it to me and settled in for a read. We read the book, “When you Give a Moose a Muffin”. I was fairly entertained by the book too, as I saw what a ridiculous choice it is to give a moose a muffin and by the end of the book, I had decided the I would never attempt to give a moose a muffin for any reason even if I were requested to do so. I closed the book and set it down and asked my Ada, “What’s next?” to which she replied, “That one!” pointing to the book I had just read. I was mostly entertained by watching her, so I opened the book again and read everything the second time as if it had been my first time. I enjoyed watching her as she watched each page unfold. Her attention was captured by the story as much as the first time, my attention was captured by her delight.

This same process went on until we had read the book more than a dozen times. That’s all she wanted to read. And without any reason to say “no” I continued to read the same story over and over again, delighting each time in her pleasure and the grand privilege of being with her. We read that book on repeat until it was time to get her ready for bed (which I admittedly extended close to an hour). By the time we finally closed the book I nearly had it memorized and no longer needed to turn the page to know the first few words on the adjoining one.

Being a grandfather is one of my life’s grandest delights. Most everything about those children brings a depth of joy I never achieved as a father. As I thought about the sweetness of reading this book on repeat with my full delight directed toward her, I thought how similar God’s love is for me. He doesn’t get impatient with me. He will repeat the same story over and over and even seems to be glad that I want to hear it again. I know it’s not a perfect analogy (none of them are) but the likeness to my delight over her and God’s value in me were pleasant to think about…oh, by the way, I wouldn’t recommend giving a moose a muffin.

Prayer for today:

Father, I want to hear from you. I want to find my safety in your lap. Please delight in me and protect me as you would a cherished possession. Tell me your story again, please. I want to hear from you.