Chocolate Chip Pancakes
I love the summer months where the sun rises early and sets late. I think the circadian rhythm of the body is fascinating and on those sunny days, when my eyes detect the soft warm glow from the horizon, I’m set in a quiet peaceful mood. Before I even realize it, I’m thinking thankful, grateful thoughts with the Lord. On my best days, before considering what the day has in store, I refresh my heart by listening for Him, giving my full attention to anything He might communicate. It’s a place from where some of my clearest understandings have come. I wish they came everyday but intentionally easing myself awake in this way, He is always found.
We have a 13-year-old in the house who lives in an opposite rhythm. She may naturally be more of a night owl, perhaps all teenagers are, but she is especially so during the summer break. “Most of my day’s activities are finished before you’re even awake,” I’m fond of saying to the roll of her eyes.
To wake her up earlier or quickly is never a pleasant experience for either of us, but when appointments make it necessary it must be done. One particular morning, it would have been easier to let sleeping dogs lie, but that day I had a different plan.
I crept quietly into her room, slowly opened the shades, and whispered, “chocolate chip pancakes.” She was dead to the world. No response or movement at all, but I persisted. I knelt by the bed, and gently began rubbing her back while whispering “chocolate chip pancakes.”
I had decided to forgo the day’s agenda and surprise everyone by taking them out for breakfast.
She didn’t move a muscle, and judging from her deep breathing, she was probably still in la-la land.
I continued gently rubbing her back, whispering my delicious clue, and watching for any eye movement. We were nearly face to face and I was smiling broadly. My goal that morning was that her first waking sight would be her father’s smiling face greeting her. Because, in fact, I looked forward to enjoying a surprise with her.
It took some time, but eventually I saw eye movement, and the hint of smile meant she could see me through slitted eyes and hear my whispering words, but still she lay in a heap.
Smiling, whispering, and rubbing her back eventually brought a response, and rather than the angry she-bear that had often been my experience, I was greeted by a smiling squinty-eyed girl stretching her back like a cat to better position it beneath my hand.
“What’s this about chocolate chip pancakes?” She breathed.
There’s at least one instance in the Bible where a child’s first waking image was his Father’s face. At the very beginning of the Bible, we read, “…then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Gen. 2:7)
While it doesn’t explicitly say it, the Father had to be smiling when Adam opened his eyes. How could He not? He was face to face with what His hands had just formed and as Adam drew his first breath, the very breath of God, he opened his eyes. The first image etched on a human brain was that of the smiling face of God. He was purposed, desired, and loved. What an amazing, defining moment for Adam and shared destiny for the loved of God. I wonder what the Father felt watching the pinnacle of His creation process that moment? What was Adam’s wide-eyed grin like? I mean, who can resist the smile of God?
That was the beginning of a good day.
The thought of chocolate chip pancakes brought a certain smile to our morning, too. In an unhurried way, she ambled out of bed, giving attention to her hair and teeth. With a happy peaceful attitude, she came downstairs looking forward to something new and that helped the entire house to respond in kind.
I often feel something similar in the mornings when I respond to the early stirrings. I imagine the smiling face of my heavenly Father staring with anticipation at me, whispering the things that are best heard in those wakeful moments.
Well, our house had a different morning, a pleasant morning, filled with real conversations, laughs and tasty eats. It started differently than many, something I hope to continue. Perhaps I should just whisper “chocolate chip pancakes” every day.
A stirring, a smile, and a whisper can make all the difference. There’s a smiling God whispering things to you today, are you listening?
Rusty
Ian and Allie's wedding is August 19th! We are so excited and thrilled for them, and for us at gaining an amazing new daughter :)
Love is in the air!
Prophetic Prayer and Communion
Sunday, August 27th
7-9pm
Northstar Loveland Campus