I spend a lot of time on the floor.
I look after my youngest granddaughter twice a week and as she’s only one, I spend a lot of time on her level, playing with her. She’s learning to stand and walk and isn’t yet steady on her feet. It hurst my back to bend over all the time, so I’m there on the floor.
At the Parent & Toddler group which I run twice a week, each session ends with me on the floor singing nursery rhymes and playing percussion instruments with the children. I’m down on their level.
It’s the way we learn to relate to and trust people. Those who tower above us seem intimidating, even frightening. We feel so much more comfortable if we can look into people’s eyes and read their facial expressions.
The Christian gospel tells us that God got down on our level to help us (see Ps 31:2, The Message). It tells us that Jesus, being in very nature God, took on human flesh, living a selfless, obedient life and then dying a selfless, obedient death so that we could be saved. (Phil 2:5-11) It tells us that we do not have a high priest who is aloof and indifferent, but One who is able to empathise with our humanity, who suffered as we do, who embraced humanity in every way except for sin. Jesus got down on our level. He looks us in the eyes and tells us that God loves us. He takes us in His arms and holds us as we weep, lament and sorrow.
This is our God. As we prepare for Easter, we have a God who understands, who cares and who loves us. He is holy and majestic, but on the cross we see a Saviour who got down on our level and who is therefore able to save completely all who come to Him. (Heb 7:25) Hallelujah, what a Saviour!
