As my fifth grandchild is hours old 😊 I once again am reflecting with wonder the arrival of another precious life.

Babies are a gift from God. There is no doubt. However, what HaShem is teaching us through those little bundles of joy is much more than just that simple truth.

New babies are adorable, at least to their parents and close family even if they’re a little scrunchy at first. Adorable or not, being objective about their behavior, it’s quite self centered. Typically they are non-stop milk drinking machines who live to have their every need served by their sleep deprived parents. When service is not fast enough, the request is often conveyed by amazingly loud, shrill nonverbal crying demanding “Give me more now!” and, “This diaper needs changing! Now!”

That is how each of us entered this world. Self-centered, egocentric beings here to be served. Life’s journey is the road we take from that starting point to a place serving others and somewhere along the way connecting the dots that by serving others we serve HaShem. We learn that by our sharing His love of us with others and treating kindly, lovingly, our earthly home, we inevitably make this world a better place. We learn the power of love, His Love.

So how do we learn this life of giving rather than receiving, a life of loving others above ourselves? Perhaps the first such lesson is manifested in the usual reactions of mom and dad selflessly, sacrificially, tirelessly loving their child, and so, we see them loving their child despite the child’s self-centered demands. It is through this profound example of selfless love for their children that we can begin to understand the depth of our Abba’s love for us, so strong that He would give us His only Son, and Yeshua’s love for mankind, so selfless that He would die for us.

As the baby becomes a child, he or she hopefully has experienced this parental behavior and (other than perhaps during the teenage years) learns to model the sacrificial love that the child has been receiving. Of course that is the ideal. Since we as nurturers are not perfect and this world is not perfect, much grace through Yeshua’s love for us fills the many gaps.

Our Abba often provides other relatives, mentors, and love teachers in our paths to fill the void when parents can’t meet the child’s needs for love and acceptance. Even the brokenness is often tempered with loving reminders of our Abba’s presence, ways of kindness that cushion the hurts and disappointments that are the result of human failings, for a life of love is the divine design but is effectuated imperfectly. Even if we’ve had no children of our own we all once were children so at least had the opportunity to experience the model, or if not, through other nurturing relationships such as aunts, uncles, mentors, friends, we are given other opportunities to grow our love muscles as givers and receivers.

Were it not for the preparation of parents’ hearts that our Abba provides as a baby is anticipated, labor, itself would be intolerable. Were it not for the unconditional love placed in the hearts of parents, the objectively challenging nights of no sleep, endless feedings, dirty diapers, and exhaustion, would overpower the feelings of love that mom and dad feel for each precious new life. I can testify that no matter how difficult these days and nights have been for my children, no children they have been blessed to receive could be any more loved. I also have no doubt that as the challenges to love occur, as they undoubtedly will, our Abba through Yeshua will be with those tired parents every step of the way.

How amazing that our Creator designed this whole process in just this way to teach us how to love unconditionally. Loving the unlovable adult may be more challenging, so teaching us this virtue via demanding babies (and puppies and kittens) is so effective, as He is our ultimate perfect parent.

And how blessed the journey from self absorption to selfless love of others as we complete the circle of love- as He loves us, so we love others, and through our love of others radiate our love for Him and His love of us and . . .

May this week be filled with a multitude of opportunities to selflessly love others as He loves us. I know there will be plenty of those times for my kids with that new bundle of joy!

Shabbat shalom.

Diane