As Babies Do

One day last week I visited my cousin and her baby. They had just returned from a doctor’s visit, where the little one had received three shots. Surprisingly, she was quite pleasant when I arrived at the house and even more playful after her mom changed her diapers. As I picked up the 3-month old bundle and made silly faces, she started to smile and move around. I then lifted her up to my shoulder and she started to stretch herself out. At the same I turned to her mom and said how playful she was, for a baby who had just received three shots… I spoke too soon. As the words left my mouth, I felt a warmness start to cover my neck, move its way down through my shirt and end in my lap. I’m sure you’ve figured out what happened. Although lil’ bit wasn’t crying from the shots, she still had a reaction and spitting up her formula made her feel better. Of course, as quickly as she finished getting rid of her lunch she was again smiling with me and wiggling around.

My message to you this morning is – “As Babies Do.”

When a baby doesn’t like a particular food that they are given, they do something very simple – spit it out. No matter how hard you try to force it down their throat, it is guaranteed to come back up. This simple indicator, shows us that they don’t like or want what they are being given. Maybe it doesn’t taste right, is too hot, spoiled or upsets their stomach. This reaction also occurs when they are sick, like in the story told above. It’s their way of telling us that something is not right.

Why is it then, that as adults we don’t follow this same example when dealing with issues in life? Rather than spitting out injustice, stupidity and insults, we take a deep breath and swallow; forcing our insides to deal with the poison of hatred and negativity. We need to know when to regurgitate issues that are of no value to our lives. The more we keep in, the more likely we are to suffer from a system shut down, in the form of high blood pressure and other stress related illnesses.

As you go through today and moving forward, try to do as babies do, and get rid of the bad stuff. I promise you’ll smile afterwards.