Hungry, Hungry Hippo (aka Charlotte)

I’ve found- not surprisingly- that my life has become remarkably ‘triune’ in nature. It’s just that I never imagined the three elements of that trinity being eating, sleeping, and bowel movements. I guess the truth is that even within that trinity, the center seems to be feeding Charlotte. If she’s hungry, she can’t sleep; and what goes in must come out. Thus most of our days are consumed with careful observation for signs of hunger, and trying to satisfy what seems to be an insatiable hunger (our scientific guess is that she’s going through an early growth spurt- we base this guess on our extensive parental knowledge and experience).
I think the one thing that has inspired more wonder and awe than anything else in our young lives as parents is that idea that Charlotte is kept alive by the nourishment Margaret provides. It’s fascinating! It’s wondrous and awe-inspiring; Margaret and I talk about it more often than you can imagine. It’s also an inexact science. If we feed her too little, she’s not dissimilar from her father- cranky, sleepless, dissatisfied and generally unhappy. If we feed her too much (who knew she wouldn’t stop herself?), she ejects her food at an alarming rate. Our primary parental purpose is to find a happy medium wherein Charlotte receives enough food to satisfy her, but not so much that it’s overwhelming and miserable.
Maybe it’s because I do this for a living, or maybe it’s because I haven’t really left the house in the last two weeks, but I can’t help but see the Christian life in this. Whether it’s when we’re 5 years old or 55, there’s a point in life when we realize that we’re starving. We may not even know for what we’re starving, or (in the same way that Charlotte can’t really recognize her hunger pains as such) we may not even know that what we’re feeling is the sensation of hunger. But at some point we find ourselves dissatisfied and hungry for something that will nourish, satisfy, and fulfill our hearts and souls in a way that only something greater than us could accomplish. On the other hand, the unfortunate reality for new converts or those returning to the faith after a long absence is that they so zealously immerse themselves Christian activity that they soon are exhausted of their new life and reject it. Though they set out with right hearts, they become easily overwhelmed and discouraged by the demands of the gospel on their lives. Our role as faithful Christian brothers and sisters is not to simply point out people’s hunger and let them wallow in it. Nor are we called to throw people into the deep end of the pool to see if they can swim. Rather, our role is to help people find the happy medium wherein they are nourished so as to promote growth without overwhelming our new family members so that they cannot continue.


Peace,
Matt