My Sadie Burrito

Tuesday. Staff meeting. My tasks were stacked as high as ever as I prepare for the upcoming trips and events of our youth ministry and as I scrambled to catch up from my time off. Real life as a new parent was officially in full swing.

About mid-morning, I called home to check in on things only to learn that munchkin was not having a very good day. Apparently, her little stomach was upset, thus transforming her “coos” into a digestive “coup.” Needless to say, she was not going down for her nap as usual. I felt horrible for her… and for her mommy.

Though I lack exhaustive wisdom in parenting (since I have been doing it a whole week now,) I have gained valuable knowledge of a few things. First of all, Sadie is not nearly concerned with keeping our perfect little schedule as we are. Laura and I spent nine months researching and studying about all the various techniques and processes by which infants can be helped along into routine and stability. Sadie, however, apparently has not read any of these books. Nary a one.

I have also learned a technique that would prove invaluable on this day of sour stomachs and excessive crying. Sadie is most soothed and comforted when she is wrapped tightly in her blanket. When I say tightly, I do not just mean lightly covered up and comfortable. I literally mean synched up tightly like a little “flower” tortilla. My Sadie burrito.
This tight wrapping methodology is not a theory; it is a science with predictable outcomes. Here are a few rough equations I have devised for the whole process. Please excuse the crudity of these calculations.

crying + fussiness = need for a diaper change and the preparation of baby’s sustenance

clean diaper + new outfit (per her Mommy) = less fussiness, but still unsatisfied princess

beginning process of feeding + a few gentle whacks on the back + stretching out her little legs= a monstrous burp

And here is the catch-all essential “quadratic equation” of Sadie’s soothing procedures:

a tightly swaddled Sadie + the rest of her feeding= sleepy eyes, cooing baby, & happy Daddy & Mommy

Swaddling is the go-to constant of the equation—our own personal “cutie pi” that completes the mysterious circle. My supposition is that she enjoys the swaddling because it brings back fond memories of her cozy quarters in her mommy’s belly during her quarter-year incubation period.  Upon swaddle, she begins to soothe almost instantly. In fact, if she happens to wiggle out of her “burrito state” during sleepy time, extreme protest erupts and new burrito-making must be initiated. She craves to be wrapped tightly and held safely in Daddy’s arms.

Keeping her wrapped so snugly assures us that she will not accidentally roll over on her face while she sleeps, or that she will not become cold in the night. Think about it, seven pounds is not much body weight to keep little girls warm. Ergo, the burrito makes her comfortable and safe, not to mention cuter than a little love bug in a rug—or in this case, a baby blanket.

I am not the first father to synch up my child like a burrito. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Hebrews 10:23 (NLT)

Tightness. Hope. Trust. These words give us a glimpse of two other fatherly burrito processes that we can easily miss if we do not take time to see them.

Burrito #1. The hope we have been given must be nourished and protected as if it were our own little precious baby. As a pastor for all these years, the most difficult thing I have experienced is the innumerable people who do not hold tightly to the gift of hope they have originally accepted. The result is beyond tragic—they can lose the most precious part of their existence.

Temptation. Rejection. Doubt. Insecurity. Guilt. Difficulty. Loss. There are many things that can unravel the airtight promises of hope and grace we have been given. We must “hold tightly” to them and not just leave their welfare to chance. Your relationship with God is your treasure, so swaddle it tightly and hold it close to you. Keep it far away from the one who would seek to steal it away or do it harm.

Burrito #2. I really believe God longs to wrap us up as his own little burrito.  Please resist the temptation to just let this notion pass you by as another flowery illustration with no substantial value besides superfluous, shallow encouragement. God’s Word is riddled with promises to surround us with protection. To hide us away. To keep us close and safe to him. It is not just some “kumbaya” lullaby. It is a scriptural mainstay.

Like those late nights when I rock my little Sadie safely to sleep in her tightly wound blanket, God’s arms long to surround you. As this verse says, he can be trusted to keep his promise. Those promises are the swaddling blanket of our peace with him.

So remember what he has personally promised you and retake ownership of your blanket. Hold tightly to his promises as he holds tightly to you. Let your fussy restlessness be soothed in the tightly wound warmth of a father who is more than willing to rock you to sleep. This whole idea begs one more verse:

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Philippians 3:12 (NKJV)

Enough said. Sleep tight

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