Children and Childlikeness

Joel and Denise come to Bangor today. (Woo hoo!)
Yesterday I learned that Alberta is an amazing cook! We've decided that she should cook more often. Pot roast and squash and mashed potatoes, oh my! (fresh-baked rolls, carrots, gravy and fruit salad, too.)We were so stuffed we went for a walk around her block, and enjoyed the sun a bit before coming back in for peanutbutter brownies and ice cream....so much good food, and good company! I got to try my hand at her mom's favorite computer game, and listen to her dad's military stories, and pet the bunny.
Saturday I went over to the Mackay house and played with Brianna and all the other kids outside....I'd forgotten all the chaos of having a big family, so this weekend was an awesome refresher! Kids are amazing, and I love listening to how they see the world....they grow up way too fast, and somewhere between 6 and 14 lose that spark of wonder for learning and growing. One of my life goals has been to stay childlike forever. (Note that I said childlike and not childish!) Something passed on from my mom that I want to keep. So for those of you who like lists, here's another one:

The TOP 10 benefits of being childlike forever:
10) living in the "now". (an honest sense of wonder and adventure at every one of life's new turns)

9) insatiable optimism and fearlessness.

8) willingness to try new things. (I've always been amazed at how quickly children will pick up new songs, and skills....they see someone else doing it, so they do it...since when did we adults try to make everything so hard?)

7) willingness to forgive.

6) willingness to trust.

5) quest for knowledge. (I bet everyone remembers all those "but why...?" questions!)

4) energy and excitement that never seems to run down. ("again! again!")

3) mountain-moving faith. (God said it. I believe it. Let's live it.)

2) simplicity in thought.(My nephew's a great one for this. When I told him I missed him, he said, "I know." When I asked him how he knew, he said "because I know you, and you like chocolate. Do you want to talk to my mom now?"....what a kid!)

1) simplicity in love, and loving hard. (I've had so many gifts from my niece in my apartment that she made just for me...and they all have a special seat of honor there...except the chocolates, because I ate those!)


I think the last one is the reason Jesus told us to look to the children as our examples of how to live and love. May I be forever childlike. May childlikeness become a contagious desease in the church, that no one can help but to laugh and love and cherish every moment they have with the people around them at any given moment. Amen.