My job may be teaching them... but more often than not I feel like I'm the one being schooled.
Wonder and faith come so naturally to them.
It doesn't take much to amaze them, and they'll believe the most difficult truths without a hint of doubt.
For them, faith is solid; faith is enough.
- God's love for them is a given. There is no question.
- Jesus can do anything. End of story.
- God always wants what's best for them. Don't even TRY to tell them otherwise.
But we as adults... we know more now. We're experienced. We understand that life is hard. We deal with reality. We have upgraded our mental/emotional/spiritual currency from faith to facts. And we have to deal with bigger issues: relationships, finances, job/career/calling, parenting, divorce, school, death, tragedy, tooth decay, etc. The list is almost endless. Our joy, however, is not.
I find it no coincidence that life is so much easier for K-1 kids, and their joy is so frequently uncontainable. Nothing is stale or "old hat," for them. They trust in God's goodness, they believe in Jesus' power, and they love Him for it. They don't deny that Satan is a big meanie, and that he's always trying to mess us up, but they quickly grasp the idea that he's no match for God.
You tell me... with a full, unrelenting trust in God, and an openness to being amazed, how could they NOT be joy-filled all day long?
I don't know about you, but I find that whenever I am most off-track with my attitude - or even just my life in general - I am also not full of joy (side note: joy is not always a reflex. Phil 4:4), I'm not full of awe, I'm not resting in the knowledge of God's love, I'm not fully believing that God's got my back, nor am I trusting in His power.
In fact, if you compared me to one of my K-1 kids, chances are good we'd be polar opposites of each other.
Hmm...
It's almost like Jesus knew what he was saying when He told us to have faith like a child.
~~~~~~~~~~
open your eyes
the cause is your selfish heart
the wonder never left you
you left the wonder,
letting your heart glaze over
allowing your eyes to look through instead of upon
Love has been forcibly limited to a ritual
an emotion, a good luck charm
a mere mascot
instead of sitting on the throne He requires
He has not become stagnant
it is you who has fizzled flat
crack your heart, focus your eyes
see the perpetual beauty of your life as it truly is:
forever renewed by Love's mercy and grace
let Love reign as King
may you bubble with awe once more
