Hans and The Magical Half-Bath Of Wonder And Mystery

One of the greatest things about being a dad is that you continually get to see things through your kid’s eyes. 

The average things of life take on a new and unexpected sense of excitement. 

Things like seeing snow for the first time, discovering their little voices, or, my favorite, “The Magical Half Bath of Wonder And Mystery –ry  -ry  -ry” 

Yes, the echoing announcer voice said it right. 

My baby girl is enamored…nay…obsessed with our downstairs half bathroom. 

She loves it. 

She’ll walk toward the door, look back with a smile, and then run as fast as she can into the “powder room” laughing hysterically. 

I’ll rush in behind her to make sure that the toilet is closed and she isn’t splashing playfully again. 

And yes….I said “again”. 

Lately I’ll catch up with her and she’s looking, awestruck, at the handle on the commode, her lips making a perfect “O” as if to say, “DADDY….HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CHAIR?!?!  IT’S GOT SHINY SILVER JEWELRY ON IT!!  AND IT RATTLES!  I SAID HAVE YOU SEEN THIS CHAIR!?!?!” 

I truly can’t remember the last time I marveled at the lever on the toilet. 

But man! Does she marvel. 

And then there’s Hans. 

He’s the wind-up, back-flipping dog we got at the penny candy store on Cape Cod. 

You wind him up and he does back-flips. 

Kind of like a canine Mary Lou Retton except Hans only “sticks” the landing forty percent of the time.

When he does make the landing I’m always disappointed that he doesn’t arch his back and throw up his arms.

10 point deduction from the American judge.

We call him Hans because he has that word impressed on his plastic doggy hindquarters.

Anyway, all he does is wind up, flip, miss the landing, fall on his side and then repeatedly kick his legs. 

Every time. 

And every time, Alanna’s eyes blink in surprise as if, at any moment, Hans would leap straight into her face. 

Of course he never does but her constant surprise was fascinating to me. 

It made me think about the last time I was surprised, and what ought to surprise me.

Anyone who knows Laura and me knows that we keep a journal of how God has provided for our family. 

We call it our Ebenezer because in Hebrew, that word means “Rock Of Help”. 

Without sounding too preachy, EVERY Christian should keep a journal like this. 

No exceptions. 

OK.  The soapbox is being stowed. 

The funny thing about it, though, is that we’ve been truly shocked every time God’s provided for us. 

But should we be?

I think that this is another one of God’s mysteries…one of His glorious tensions. 

On the one hand, I think that it’s only right that we’re amazed and bewildered every time God does something miraculous. 

On the other hand, most of what amazes us is merely God being God. 

It’s Him being who He said He would be.

When He’s good, when He provides, when He’s gracious, when He heals, when He disciplines and when He does the impossible.

He’s just being faithfully Him. 

And our posture should be like Alanna with Hans: constant amazement at the repetition of a consistent nature. 

In other words…

We should be awed by His faithfulness.