Toddlers, Poop & Jesus

I promise it will make sense, at least I hope so.

So, I have a 22-month-old (I have a nine-month-old, but I’m focusing on my oldest) - and let me tell you, he's currently my biggest "opps." He's in the midst of waging a war of both terror and cuteness on me, leaving my emotions in a constant daze of - Do I need to fight him as a man, or do I need to bow to the cuteness and roll with the punches?

Despite this ongoing battle, I've managed to learn quite a few things from him, but let's focus on two key lessons.

Lesson number 1 - Consistency. Every time I change his diaper after he's done his business, he cries. And I'm not talking about a gentle sob or a few tears. No, I'm talking about a full-on wail that would rival the sound of a siren. He cries the same way every single time, without fail. And if he's feeling particularly spicy, he'll even drop to his knees and look up at the sky as if calling out to God to save Him from his dastardly Father.  I have to give him props for his constant ability to scream relentlessly like I’m about to murder him.

This now leads me to lesson number two.

He will consistently try to stick his hand into his poo. There was even a time when he had his arm in a cast from a broken bone, and yet he was still determined enough to attempt it with the injured arm. He does this every single time without fail. And it's utterly bewildering because every single time, I find myself asking him - why are you screaming, crying, and struggling as if it's a matter of life and death? Why are you trying to plunge your tiny fingers into your poo? Can't you smell that? Don't you want to be clean?  Sometimes, I can hear my wife laughing in the background as she listens to my exasperation as I try and negotiate with someone who will give me no quarter and will fight to the bitter end.

But one day, it occurred to me. This is exactly how we treat Jesus.

We mess up and cover ourselves in poo. And then we start to run. We begin to avoid Jesus. As if we now have the capacity to clean ourselves up. It's like we're grown-up toddlers pretending to be adults, but unlike actual toddlers, we should know better.

Sometimes, I imagine Jesus scratching His head as He watches us flee from His love and grace, wondering, "Why are you running away covered in poo?" 

With my son, whenever he finishes fighting me with all his strength, and I finish cleaning him up, his tears abate, the world settles, and peace reigns once more. And you know what? In those moments, he chooses to play with me. We've gone from mortal enemies to the best of friends in a matter of moments.

What if, unlike my toddler who currently doesn't know better, we skip the struggling and running away from Jesus? What if we use our God-given brains to ask ourselves two very simple questions:

1. If I run away, who benefits?

2. Why am I running from someone who wants to clean me up?

In our faith journey, there has to come a point where the Bible becomes real to us, and we believe the things we've read in it. There has to be a transition point between "Oh, it's a good book" to "This will save my life!"

I want us to remember that Jesus isn’t just another man; He's beyond our human understanding. Yes, He may have looked like us, walked like us, and talked like us, but He was different. Let's reflect on Peter the Apostle. In Matthew 16, Peter has a full-blown revelation of who Jesus is (even before the other disciples), and Jesus does two remarkable things:

1. Jesus changes his name (formerly Simon).

2. Jesus declares that upon this revelation Peter shared, He will build the church.

A few chapters later, Peter denies Jesus—not once, not twice, but three times! It's a heartbreaking moment as he denies Jesus, not under duress or torture, but to a random servant girl.

Three days after his much-publicized death, Jesus returns to town, freshly raised from the grave. The two Marys encounter an angel at the empty tomb, who delivers a remarkable message: "But go, tell his disciples and Peter too" (Mark 16:7). Even after Peter's denial, Jesus makes sure to single him out for inclusion.

Jesus, understanding that the shame of Peter's denial might keep him away from his fellow disciples, ensures to specifically mention Peter by name. In fact, at no point does Jesus accuse or remind Peter of his denial. By calling Peter by name, He was letting Peter know, - “Despite your poo, I still love you” Peter ran away feeling unworthy and Jesus was saying, “I don’t care about that! Come back home.”

I mean, make it make sense!

You see, If I was Jesus, I would have been HOT! after a three-time denial,.I would have thrown Peter to the curb. I would have been entirely justified to say “You caught the revelation and then you turned your back on me after everything????” 

But the truth is, if His grace made sense, we wouldn’t even be here.

I can feel my 12 minutes running out, so I’ll wrap up with this. How many times have you run away from home? And if you’re not back home, how long do you plan to keep running?

I’m not accusing you or anything, I’m just asking a question. 

You may not be able to answer that right now, but I want you to think of Peter. Think of Peter and the fact that Jesus restored him, not because Peter was good, but simply because He loved him and He loves you too.

Anyway, that’s my 12 minutes up. if you enjoyed our time together, don't forget to subscribe and share with your friends, and maybe even your enemies. Until next time!

Hey There, this post is part of the 12-minute method, where three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), I'll sit down, set the timer for 12 minutes, and let the words flow - No overthinking, no perfectionism—just raw, unfiltered writing. Proofread once and the post. If you want to find out more about why I’m doing this click this → Find out more