Annelise, reading your post (finally!) on the sixth day of Christmas and I was taken by these lines,
"It’s why Christmas matters. It’s the point. That God came to be with us, because we are his children and we need him. And rather than standing far off, telling us how silly we are for hating the bathtub, he came down to us, to be with us, so we could have life."
Your writing is proof that when our lives are God-steeped we'll find Him in everything, even bathtubs.
So, so good, Annelise. I, too, am a neuropsychology nerd and I took a DEEP dive on Dan Siegel, Adam Young, Aundi Kolber, etc. a year or two ago. It's all been incredibly eye-opening for me, and I love reading how you tie together these truths with the truth of Christmas and Emmanuel.
I think one of the most healing things for me has been realizing how much sound psychology aligns with Scripture. I did not grow up with a framework for that — lots of spiritual bypassing — so to realize that God values us as whole people with body, mind and spirit has been pretty life changing. Now, I think walking that out in practice is going to be a life-long journey. But it’s one that is worth taking, and it’s a hopeful one.
My goodness I loved this. It’s stunning, clear, and so theologically strong. What an image! If you’re on a neurobiology kick, I would also recommend The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk if you haven’t already read it.
Thank you, Rebecca! I have read that one but I’m due for a re-read. Honestly I’m very rarely *not* on a neurobiology kick. One of my favorite things to learn about :)
This was such a beautiful reflection. I wonder if Grace is just God co-regulating with us by holding us close and letting us borrow his nervous system. I’m going to be contemplating this for a while.
Oh.my.gosh! So relatable. Our preschooler, after watching the Toy Story short about the bathtub (where all the bath toys have a party & overflow the tub), has become TERRIFIED of the idea of the water overflowing the tub. We've looked at all the different drains in the tub that keep that from happening, talked about how water overflow can just be mopped up, etc., but we're still in that zone of figuring it out!
We haven't attempted another bath yet, so tbd how this all works out. Kids are just so silly and unpredictable, and yet, the things they fear are very REAL to them.
What a great analogy, Annelise! Babies and irrational sometimes go together! We adopted a rescue dog a few years back whose fear was it's default. Putting it in the car, the poor thing was vibrating out of it's fur! Initially, I would just hold it against my chest till the vibrations had went down some notches, then we would go for a drive, a walk, and a treat. It took a bit, but is now totally up for the trips. God has so much for us, but we sure can be that hot mess, getting that bath!
We often act like traumatized animals too, don’t we? There’s something about loving another being that can’t trust you yet that gives insight into how patient God is with us.
Yes, this idea has meant a lot to me in the last years, and I still keep uncovering new pieces I need to take with me. And yes! The cinnamon roll recipe has worked for me twice now and both have been a big hit — definitely a keeper.
And just for solidarity sake - we had a kid who, after a fever, would have nothing to do with the bath for probably a year or longer. Of course we still bathed her but it was a bit of a nightmare. Hope this phase passes in not too long. Just enough time to glean the wisdom from the situation 😉
Along with the beautiful read, thank you for the cinnamon roll recipe. We have an allergen-friendly household, and my son LOVES cinnamon rolls. I haven’t found a recipe that gets us close to the allergen-filled ones.
Annelise, reading your post (finally!) on the sixth day of Christmas and I was taken by these lines,
"It’s why Christmas matters. It’s the point. That God came to be with us, because we are his children and we need him. And rather than standing far off, telling us how silly we are for hating the bathtub, he came down to us, to be with us, so we could have life."
Your writing is proof that when our lives are God-steeped we'll find Him in everything, even bathtubs.
Aw, thanks Jody for such kind words and for reading!
So, so good, Annelise. I, too, am a neuropsychology nerd and I took a DEEP dive on Dan Siegel, Adam Young, Aundi Kolber, etc. a year or two ago. It's all been incredibly eye-opening for me, and I love reading how you tie together these truths with the truth of Christmas and Emmanuel.
I think one of the most healing things for me has been realizing how much sound psychology aligns with Scripture. I did not grow up with a framework for that — lots of spiritual bypassing — so to realize that God values us as whole people with body, mind and spirit has been pretty life changing. Now, I think walking that out in practice is going to be a life-long journey. But it’s one that is worth taking, and it’s a hopeful one.
Yes!! I grew up in a very similar environment. ❤️ This has been HUGE for me too! Happy to be walking this out alongside you.
My goodness I loved this. It’s stunning, clear, and so theologically strong. What an image! If you’re on a neurobiology kick, I would also recommend The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk if you haven’t already read it.
Thank you, Rebecca! I have read that one but I’m due for a re-read. Honestly I’m very rarely *not* on a neurobiology kick. One of my favorite things to learn about :)
Hahaha me too! It’s one of my favourite topics. I just did my EMDR training. So good 👌🏼
....loved this line "bodies are wise and truthful when we take the time to listen."
It’s so true!
Such a beautiful picture of God’s tender, but firm care.
Thank you, Tabitha.
Thank you! The bathtub story was a helpful analogy.
It helped me too!
You word painted such a beautiful picture of Christmas. I’m going to the pondering this for awhile.
Thank you, Sarah.
Such a tender reflection of the Father's heart towards us. Parenthood reveals His love like nothing else.
It’s been such a big paradigm shift for me over the last years of mothering.
Oh goodness, I loved this. Thank you for reminding me of Christ in the bathtub...with us in everything.
Thank you! “with us in everything” - Amen.
In grateful tears over here over this. Thank you.
You’re so welcome. I needed it too.
This was such a beautiful reflection. I wonder if Grace is just God co-regulating with us by holding us close and letting us borrow his nervous system. I’m going to be contemplating this for a while.
Thank you Krista. I love that idea of grace being co-regulation.
Such a good comparison and interesting info on co regulation 👌🏻
Thanks, Kym! The attachment science is so fascinating.
Oh.my.gosh! So relatable. Our preschooler, after watching the Toy Story short about the bathtub (where all the bath toys have a party & overflow the tub), has become TERRIFIED of the idea of the water overflowing the tub. We've looked at all the different drains in the tub that keep that from happening, talked about how water overflow can just be mopped up, etc., but we're still in that zone of figuring it out!
We haven't attempted another bath yet, so tbd how this all works out. Kids are just so silly and unpredictable, and yet, the things they fear are very REAL to them.
What a great analogy, Annelise! Babies and irrational sometimes go together! We adopted a rescue dog a few years back whose fear was it's default. Putting it in the car, the poor thing was vibrating out of it's fur! Initially, I would just hold it against my chest till the vibrations had went down some notches, then we would go for a drive, a walk, and a treat. It took a bit, but is now totally up for the trips. God has so much for us, but we sure can be that hot mess, getting that bath!
We often act like traumatized animals too, don’t we? There’s something about loving another being that can’t trust you yet that gives insight into how patient God is with us.
Those loopywhisk cinnamon buns are SO good. Finding that website was a “win” over the last year and a bit.
Co-regulation with the father. ❤️❤️❤️ reminds me of The disciple Jesus loved with his head on Jesus’ chest, right up next to his heartbeat.
Yes, this idea has meant a lot to me in the last years, and I still keep uncovering new pieces I need to take with me. And yes! The cinnamon roll recipe has worked for me twice now and both have been a big hit — definitely a keeper.
And just for solidarity sake - we had a kid who, after a fever, would have nothing to do with the bath for probably a year or longer. Of course we still bathed her but it was a bit of a nightmare. Hope this phase passes in not too long. Just enough time to glean the wisdom from the situation 😉
Along with the beautiful read, thank you for the cinnamon roll recipe. We have an allergen-friendly household, and my son LOVES cinnamon rolls. I haven’t found a recipe that gets us close to the allergen-filled ones.
It’s like the holy grail! I’ve been looking for several years now and these were a hit with even the gluten eating crowd, which says a lot.