Not too long ago, I watched as Doug related to my newly adopted one-year old Russian nephew, Alex. He buried his face repetitively in the baby’s belly, made funny noises, and waited for him to squeal in delight. They also spent a great deal of time engaging eye contact with one another and smiling. It was clear that they were both getting a great deal of joy from this interaction.

What stands out to me as most profound about Doug’s and Alex’s interaction is that Doug was receiving a great deal of joy through giving joy to Alex. I saw in Doug and Alex something that was strikingly reminiscent of a concept I know to be true about my personal relationship with Father God. John Piper says it best: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” Said differently, God gets the greatest measure of joy from us when we are receiving His love and letting it move our hearts to joy.

We can learn so much about God’s parental heart for us through our interactions with children.

Shiree

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