Jesus: “Let the children come to Me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the Kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:14, Mark 19:14, Luke 18:16)
Here is my favorite G.K. Chesterton quote:
“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again;” and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening, “Do it again” to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
What are some characteristics of children?
Enthusiastic
Trusting
Curious
Imaginative
Resilient
Expectant
Whole-hearted
Teachable
Energetic
Honest
Accepting
Humble
They show their emotions
They know their limitations
They ask for help
They depend on others
They show love freely
Of course they also have melt-downs when they are tired, but… truthfully, so do adults. We just get better at joking sarcasm and trying to hide things.
Did anything in that list above grab your attention?
Why, as we get older, do we lose some of that curious spark? As experiences come with years, we learn to protect ourselves. As responsibilities crowd in, we dream less and less. As we experience hurt, we become more cynical and less trusting.
But Jesus says that the child-like come to Him easier.
Is there a magic wand to help us peel back the layers and recover that innocent curiosity?
When Jesus was talking with His disciples about their lack of faith, He asked them, “Are your hearts hardened?” The Greek word for “hardened” is πωρόω (poroo). The definition is “to cover with thick skin, calloused, to lose the power of understanding.”
How do we peel off the callous?
I think we all “age” differently. We all know someone young that we can describe as “an old soul.” And maybe we know someone old who doesn’t seem nearly as old as their years should indicate. My grandma Jeanette (who went by Jette – that should explain her personality!) was young at heart. When she was in her mid-80s, she would regularly volunteer at an “old people home” to go help with “those old folks.” She lived to be 99. My great uncle bought himself a new Cadillac on his 100th birthday (that’s a whole different story) and lived to be 104.
One of my old jobs involved helping out in a tax office. One day a woman came in and her unhappiness oozed out. She mentioned that she was 88 years old, and told me in depth about her ailments and troubles. A couple hours later, a man came in, with a twinkle in his eye, and joked around. In our conversation, he mentioned that he was 88 years old. “My secret is peanut butter!” he said with a giggle. I was left to ponder the contrast between those two encounters. Without a doubt, I want to be like that cute, positive man when I am older.
But how?
How do my choices today impact my outlook when I am older? How can I make sure that my lens to view the world stays rosy and not cloudy? How can I let hurts slide off my shoulders instead of penetrating my soul?
(If you have the answers to any of these questions, please, let me know!)
How can I make sure that my heart is released from callouses and is free to dream and be curious and trust?
The first step is to ask for help. (Remember the child-like list above?) I think it’s safe to say that I cannot fix everything on my own. I’ve tried. Jesus tells us that he wants us to come to Him.
“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Jesus, will you please help me to peel off some of these layers? I really want to recapture some of the child-like qualities that I’ve lost over the years. I want to be curious and energetic and excited about things. I want to be resilient and teachable. I want to trust easily and love freely. I want to delight and enjoy and celebrate. I want to see you through child-like eyes. I want my heart to lose the callouses. Please help me.