Jesus called a small child over to Him and put the child among them. Then He said, "I assure you, unless you turn from your sins and become as little as children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore, anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven..." (Matt. 18:2-4)
There is so much we can learn from children. I just love the way that they see the world-- it's so new to them and full of wonder. I love how little children have such big imaginations; grass isn't just grass... trees are like towers... everything can be changed in the mind of a child. Life is such an adventure for them in the early years. It's truly humbling to see the world through their eyes even if just for a while.
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I had the opportunity to spend some time yesterday with my cousin's children, Brooke (5~ almost 6) and Luke (3). When we arrived at my aunt's house the kids were checking out her yard, running through all the paths. Due to our swimming activity a few days ago-- Brooke buddied up with Sarah and Luke hung out with me. It was so cute, when we got there Luke was slightly hesitant towards me and then when I got down on his level he ran full force to give me a huge hug. Such a precious memory. Both kids were so excited to have buddies to play with! And within moments of our greeting, we were literally off and running! Luke ran wildly through the garden- I eventually learned that we were cars zooming about. I must say it is amazing how someone less than half my size can run like a cheetah. Wow!
I learned later that Sarah and Brooke were spies. At one point, Luke and I tried to catch Sarah and Brooke. That was quite entertaining!
After running through the yard, Brooke got out the "soccer" balls (thankfully they weren't the real thing). She wanted to practice some of her skills she had learned on the team. It was neat to see her teaching how to play the game. For a little bit, Luke and I passed the ball back and forth. Brooke really wanted to get a little game going with the four of us but Luke had another agenda as he was in his own imaginary land. So, Sarah and Brooke continued to play soccer while Luke and I went on with his great mind of ideas.
Luke and I crawled all around the vegetable garden on our hands and knees... and yes, I was wearing jeans and got some very green spots on them but hey, I was being a kid. haha I'm not sure what we were playing at that point but it required a lot of crawling. Then without much notice we changed plans and were back in the imaginary swimming pool (actually, I think in between both games we had 'lunch'). Like at the tea party, we put gloves on (this time they were invisible) and combed through all the treasures in the water. Luke had a great time finding clams and eating them... apparently, they were quite tasty. Later in our exploration Luke came across a gummy bear-- he really liked that. I couldn't believe all of the things we were finding in our grassy pool.
The evening ended with everyone playing a game of crochet. Great evening! I am so grateful for our time with the kids as they left to go back home to CA today. I can't wait until they can visit again.
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From those moments of playing with the kids, being at their level... it truly made me think about this Bible verse. Children are such an example of how we're supposed to live our faith. Also, they are excellent examples of living a life full of joy. The world is so big in their eyes with so many possibilities. They simply believe. I want to have a faith like that; not questioning God's authority nor doubting that He can do all that seems impossible. So many times I limit myself or let the darkness of this life steal my joy. I pray that He will open my the eyes of my heart so that I can see Him like a child.
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