Let Him Tell You
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Faith on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 10:55 PM
A few nights ago, my two-year-old added a new activity to her bedtime routine. We read books and sang songs, and then she snuggled under her covers with her stuffed bear and said, “Mama, let’s talk about how much you love me.”
I try to keep the bedtime routine streamlined, but what mother could say no to that request?
So I sat with her for a few more minutes and we talked about how Daddy loves her and Mama loves her and Blaise loves her and her aunts and uncles and grandparents love her, and she ate it up. Since then she’s asked to talk about love before every nap and bedtime.
Her eyes light up and her body visibly relaxes; it’s clear that talking about love is emotional nourishment for my little girl.
I’m struck by the beautiful simplicity of it. She wants to know she’s loved, so what does she do? She asks to hear about it.
We all need to be shown that we are loved. If the huge response to Danielle’s recent post about Mother’s Day proves anything, it’s that.
The dynamics of our human relationships being what they are, asking for love can be complicated and stressful. I’m not saying that I don’t make the effort to do it, just that it can be difficult sometimes.
But there is one person who will always respond positively to requests for his love. We’re told that we must have hearts like children in order to enter his kingdom. It’s not a coincidence that my own child is reminding me by example that the best way to look for emotional nourishment is to seek it boldly.
Reading the Scriptures or the Office, saying the rosary, spending time in silent prayer and meditation, simply relishing the goodness of God’s creation… there are many ways in which I can seek his love. What matters is not the exact way in which I do it.
What matters is that when I say to Jesus, “Let’s talk about how much you love me,” he always, always says, “Yes, let’s.”
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