What a Bubble-Wand Eating Toddler Teaches Us About Pursuing God

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We’ve been playing with bubbles since Little Man was 3 months old or so.

Initially, he wasn’t really interested in the bubbles. Really, he ignored them.

But, I pressed on. And… let’s be honest, I like blowing bubbles.

As Little Man has grown, he’s shown me how bubbles can point us back to God.

(Let’s get real – all creation points back to God – if we’d only pay attention!)

You can live intentionally with passion and purpose as God’s beloved.

…whether or not you choose to chase bubbles!

Let’s dive in!

Bubble facts and confessions

First, here’s some fun facts about how blowing bubbles can help YOU:

Blowing bubbles can help you relieve stress and better manage your anxiety.

Blowing bubbles can help you practice deep breathing.

Playing with bubbles can help little ones develop curiosity and a playful spirit!

You can also incorporate blowing bubbles with meditation!

So, in case you had any doubts about bubble blowing, hopefully those doubts got popped, now you know just how magical and scientific it is!

Confession: I’m also pretty biased. In college, I used to keep a bottle of bubbles in my car for the whimsy. And an extra swimsuit. But whatever.

Blowing bubbles with a baby-taby-toddler

Anyway, eventually Little Man started to notice the bubbles and smiled when they landed on his face.

After a few rounds of blowing bubbles, though, his eyes locked onto the bubble wand.

That became the ultimate prize.

He no longer cared about the bubbles. He wanted to grab onto the wand that created those magical bubbles.

And cram it into his mouth, because… obviously.

Bubble lessons from a tot

Every time this happens (still does, y’all!), I think about the living metaphor Little Man is demonstrating.

Stage 1: Little Man is focused on the bubbles.

Stage 2: He realizes that SOMETHING is CREATING the bubbles – the bubble wand.

Stage 3: He shifts his focus from pursuing the bubbles to pursuing the bubble wand.

This may be my most obvious post yet, but I’m going to say it anyway:

… duh, right?

What are your bubbles?

But… then again, how many times in your life do you find yourself zooming in on the immediate and forgetting about the bigger picture?

Let’s be real – this happens daily in this girl’s life. #workinprogress

As far more mature humans, our own “bubbles” might be:

• People and relationships
• Style and clothing
• Where we live
• Career and current job
• Food. Coffee. Etc.
• Nature.
• Knowledge. News. Social media. Books. Podcasts. Movies. Tutorials. Classes.
• … and so forth.

These aren’t inherently bad or sinful. In fact, SO MUCH of this has a great capacity for good, even greatness.

The thing is – they’re fleeting. Temporary.

Like real-world bubbles, if we try to cling to them to satisfy our souls, they…

POP.

They’re just not HIM.

If you’re looking to the true source of passion, beauty and wonder – look to the Creator – the source of it all.

(Okay, okay, I know that people and relationships truly and deeply matter. MBTI ENFJ over here, i.e. super passionate about relationships. Here, though, we’re thinking about clinging to them for our purpose, our identity, and our value. I know – whoa!)

So, if we stick with the illustration of the bubbles and bubble wand – you can (literally) hold on to the bubble wand. It’s designed to be held and to create bubbles. You just gotta play your part.

Caveats about the bubble metaphor

I gotta admit, if you take this metaphor literally, it can fall apart. Just a few, “but what about?” points….

• Bubble solution and wands are cheap
• Bubble wands aren’t designed for hard labor
• You use the bubble wand to create bubbles – does that make you godlike?

And so forth. So… let’s admit this metaphor isn’t perfect and float on…

What does Scripture say?

Blowing bubbles can be so relaxing. Playing with bubbles can be delightful and wondrous.

So, what does God say about creation? The bubbles?

In the beginning, it’s obvious that God takes pleasure in his creation. In fact, Genesis 1 describes how God created the universe and how much satisfaction he found in it.

Isn’t that beautiful? He “validated it completely.”

Many years later, Paul describes this to the Romans in his letter:

He also reminds them of what happens when humanity disregards the Creator.

Yikes! Doesn’t that sound incredibly lonely… and empty?

Keeping our eyes on the Creator

So… what does that look like: keeping our eyes on the Creator and not the created?

Here’s a few Scriptures to set our eyes on Him.

(By the way, I struggle hard-core with this. If you do, too, you’re not alone!)

Jesus’ mic drop: Find life in Me

Finally, let’s pop in on a scene from Jesus’ time with his disciples. Jesus had just announced to a large crowd that he was the bread of life. (John 6:35-59)

He shares how in order to have eternal life people must eat his flesh and drink his blood.

Seriously, just imagine if you’re hearing this for the first time and don’t know the metaphor he’s giving. He sounds flat-out crazy.

Many in the crowd are disturbed by His words and choose to walk way, especially after He further proclaims his intimate relationship with God. (John 6:60-66)

As many walk away, Jesus asks the Twelve if they’re going to walk away as well. (John 6:67)

In the midst of everything going on and people walking away….

Who else can we turn to for true bread? True, satisfying fulfillment? Only You.

If we focus our gaze on the Creator of all things, even those delightful, temporary bubbles, we can find true, lasting satisfaction.

Anyone else feel a sigh of peace at this?

Wrapping how a toddler blowing bubbles can point us to God

If you’ve been around Christians for any length of time, you’ve probably heard countless discussions about battling idolatry.

Even if we don’t typically worship stone idols, it’s all too easy for us to slip into idolizing other things.

As we’ve discussed, this could include many things, including people, relationships, stuff, food, money, power… you get the gist.

So, I realize this little spiel most likely isn’t something you haven’t heard before.

It’s still true, though, that we (okay I) need to continually redirect our focus from trying to grasp the bubbles than holding hands with the Creator.

Those whimsical bubbles ARE fun and it’s such a gift to delight in them.

(Heck, if God delights in His creation, why wouldn’t He want us to do the same?)

As Little Man so aptly models, have fun chasing the bubbles, but keep coming back to that bubble wand – the source of the beauty and fun.

That’s how I want to be – enjoying the creation, but with my eyes fully focused on the Creator.

Regardless of your bubble passion, you can live intentionally with passion and purpose as God’s beloved.

Keep chasing your loving Creator!

P.S. Want some crazy simple steps to start living intentionally? Grab the Embrace Your Potential Playbook. It’ll help you zoom in on your God-gifted personality and give you practical tips to be more intentional, passionate, and purposeful as God’s beloved so you can become the best version of yourself.