I have a young son, Charlie. We tend to bathe him from time to time, and the other night was no exception.
We did the whole routine; washing, rinsing, playing, giggling, etc. Yet, when I pushed the drain plug (which I recently and expertly installed), Charlie started fussing and crying because he knew it meant bath time was coming to a close...and bed time was approaching.
It was in this moment when I received another great metaphor for life, as I explained to Charlie that he could continue fussing or he could keep playing in the water that was slowly receding. I'm not sure if Charlie got my cognitive message, or if he just realized he wasn't winning the battle against gravity, an open drain, and a stubborn Dad, but he soon shifted from fussy to playful.
Above all else, I think this is God's message to us about life. Play, enjoy, be bathed and renewed in love, but don't waste moments fussing and trying to delay the final end that awaits us. We as humans get more than caught up in trying to create permanence in our lives, and in doing so, we turn the gift that is each day into a bitter and futile attempt to make the world work as we want it to. What a waste of good bath water.
A great story and how true, many times in the past several months we have been reminded how fleeting life truly is. Sometime in the last century B.C. the poet Horace wrote, Carpe Diem--his advise remains true today, more than 2,ooo years later. Today is the only day you have, others are gone and others may never come--enjoy the bath!
ReplyDelete