Clap, Clap, Clap Your Hands

My wife and I have a son named Dominic who recently turned 9 months old on Tuesday. Dominic is an amazing child and all credit goes to his mother. Dominic has been crawling, eating solid foods, and pulling up on everything. Although, the greatest trick he learned recently has been how to clap. My wife has been determined to teach him how to clap. So she came up with a jingle of her own "clap, clap, clap your hands, clap your hands to the beat." Over and over and over we sang this jingle and moved his hands back and forth showing him how to clap. We were desperately hoping that he would understand and start clapping, and to our great surprise two days ago he started clapping. We were elated and so excited! We couldn't contain our excitement. Like any good parent we made him clap over and over and over until he became tired of it.

I know what you are thinking, where is this going Joey?  Let me tell you. My son's clapping is like the spiritual life. Say what? Yup I realized driving to work this morning that my son learning to clap is probably similar to what God does with us! He shows himself to us again and again, yet we don't really get it. He taught us how to pray and yet we don't always do it. But just like one day it clicked for my son with clapping, I see it time and time again in youth ministry that the spiritual life will click with one person. Then they can't contain themselves and continue to use these skills.

Hopefully this ending story makes you chuckle. Last night my son woke up at 4am crying because of teething, tired, etc. I was rocking him in the chair in the living room and he was not having it! All of a sudden he rolled over on his back, looked at me in the face, and starting clapping and smiling. Hopefully we allow God to show us the way in our life, and have the same zeal my child had this morning at 4am! Allow God through prayer time, sacraments, and christian fellowship to show us the way for our lives. And pray for my 4am zealous child!