Brethren, get ready for an article about bowel movements.
The late Lois Williams Murphy’s most recent great grandchild
was born after her death and the two, barring any eschatological or afterlife
theological issues, were able to spend a little time getting to know each other
in heaven before I got to meet my four-month old. Ender is my first baby but I have had a lot
of nieces and nephews. The differences
between your kids and sibling’s kids are legion. One of the more surprising ones was that I
like to change Ender’s diaper and I feared and loathed changing any of the
other rascals related to me.
‘Wait…you mean you’re happy to do it because you love
him?’ No. I like to change his poopy pants. My little dude has difficulty going number
two on a regular basis and so when he does I react as if I’ve won the lottery. I throw a party all by myself. My kid must think it’s very strange. Daddy comes in and takes care of my business
and starts whooping and hollering.
So Uncle Drew doesn’t like to handle the poo but Daddy is
happy to get in there and unload my kid’s load.
What changed? I think it’s got to
do something with my intimate knowledge of my child. I know he doesn’t go often enough and so I
know how important it is for him to go.
It isn’t good if a person can’t get that waste out of themselves so a good
father is genuinely and sincerely ecstatic to put two hands in my son’s number
two.
God is like that with us, Brethren. You have this sin living in you. It doesn’t belong inside. Just like your waste system we have toilets
for letting out the waste. The sin which so easily entangles needs to get out
too. Your body can’t work right without
getting rid of the junk and your soul can’t work right if you’re not letting
out the sin through the chute of confession.
Now hold on a minute.
I am not encouraging you to get rid of that sin through the sacrament of
confession, although if I’m honest, all God’s people need more confession. This time I want you to notice Ender doesn’t
doodoo on purpose to get rid of the junk.
(Actually, sometimes I suspect he does poop on purpose like if he waits
five minutes after his mom leaves.)
I’d like you to notice, this time, how joyous God is to see
you get rid of the waste. God celebrates your evacuations of guilt.
God joyously reacts to any time you get on straight paths. His, ‘Creation waits in eager expectation for
the Sons of God to be revealed, (NIV) or it is waiting, ‘With excitement
(ERV).’ If you didn’t know, your father
is crazy about you and intimate with your being in a way another shepherd could
never be. Your Daddy can’t wait for you
to get rid of all that baggage.
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