The most perfect love and most perfect trust we can see… is a child with their parents.
I’ve had many opportunities lately to reflect on the incredible trust and love a child inherently has for their parents. As Peter grows up, he wants to explore. He wants to move away from us and be more independent. But the second he’s concerned, or scared, or hungry, or sleepy, or anything, he comes right back. He does not expect us to fix his problems or make him happy; he trusts us to care for him.
As we prepare for our daughter’s birth, I remember the amount of trust Peter had for us from infancy. He would stop crying at the sound of our voices. A simple touch could sooth him. Yes, sometimes it took a lot more work when something was actually wrong. But a newborn craves familiarity and safety more than anything. They find those things in their parents, just by being in our presence. They rely on us for their very lives, and they trust we will provide for them.
Joshua and I are increasingly aware of our own inadequacies. We are not perfect parents, no matter how much we want to be. Yet, our children trust us and love us all the same. Peter smiles at us like we’re his whole world. He knows we will provide for his needs. Our son finds peace in our presence.
How much more love should we have for our Heavenly Father?
Why do we struggle to trust our Father in Heaven? He crafted us from nothing, breathed life into us, made all things and keeps them in existence. Yet, how often do we refrain from bringing our prayers to Him? How many times have we been reluctant to say, “Your will, not mine”?
As children, we trust our parents. We inherently trust and love them because we understand they care for our needs. Unfortunately, we then grow up. We start to take on more responsibility. Eventually we realize our parents are not perfect, that they can let us down, that they have their own struggles. Seeing our mother and father as human somehow makes us less trusting of our divine Father.
But why?
We cannot comprehend the perfection and goodness of the Lord. On some level, we think we should only trust a parent who always provides for us. We become wary of the Father who denies us our desires, who asks us to wait, and who even says “no.”
As Jesus says several times, “Be converted and become as little children.” When we spiritually mature in adulthood, we have to strive to become children. To perfectly trust and perfectly love our Heavenly Father.
