I Hate Baby Pictures

I've never been a fan of babies. I'm still not. Even the "cutest", most "adorable" or "funny" baby pictures sent to me by family members provoke little more than, "Yep. That sure looks like a baby."


However, you may notice the strange, upside-down baby picture that I posted. This particular baby is our son, Asher. He is our first child and we brought him home from the hospital on Monday night. And, of course, I absolutely love him. Although I still have zero interest in other babies. (I suppose I've got a soft spot for my older sister's kid, but that's blood. You can't do much about that.)


It's no surprise to me that I love my son and still have little tolerance for other people's "crap factories". But I think the reason why is interesting.


Last night, my dad told me that he asked my older sister once why she loved her little boy, but not some other little boy across the room. Her answer was fairly predictable. "Because he's mine."
Dad reminded me of the simple truth this common familial love demonstrates. God loves us not because of anything we've done. He loves us because we are his.


In fact most of the time, a little like my son(although he hasn't fussed much), we cry and complain and demand, thinking only about our own needs, while producing large amounts of crap for other people to deal with. But God still loves us, because he made us, and we're his.


So although I'll maintain a comfy distance from other people's noisy little rats, when I look at mine I'll hopefully be reminded of a powerful truth.


And now... I'm off to bed!


-Paeter Frandsen