Denver Waltman sent us this picture while he’s in London. No matter how old we are, don’t grow up! The facade of adulthood really is a trap. The more we act like adults the more self reliant we become and we forget the safety of being little children who depend upon our Father who cares for us.
God bring back our innocence, when we believed the good in people, trusted the person who gave us a bouquet of flowers at the park, got invited to play without an ulterior motive, and cheered with us when we got a home run in kickball.
God bring back the faith we had when we were little. Our prayers were innocent and purposeful. We believed He could do anything and He still can no matter how we’ve reasoned ourselves to think now. We talked to him about our math test, prayed for granddaddy to come rescue us when we were stuck harvesting in the garden, believed God would heal our cousin when he had a motorcycle accident, and said “Jesus” when we were scared of the dark.
God bring back our unbiased, non-judgmental selves. Remember going to the park and every kid was our friend no matter where they were from, what they looked like, or what crazy story they told us. We loved until we learned otherwise. (Someone taught us to make fun of the kid that smelled, or ate food different than us or had four eyes.)
God bring back our genuine love. Remember when we gave everyone in our class Valentine cards (even if we made them homemade), we spoke to the little old ladies at our church as we made eye contact, and we thanked our mama (or whoever did) for cooking dinner. We had manners, we got our mouths washed out with soap if we made bad choices, and we always had our siblings backs. We had sleepovers and traded BFF necklaces, caught fireflies in jars, and rode four wheelers (or bikes) until we were covered in mud… all because our friends wanted to do those things, maybe even more than we did.
God bring back our belief in who you made us to be. Before we knew we couldn’t, we believed we could. We had moments where we would try anything before someone or some experience convinced us otherwise. Before we got sucked into self-pity, self-focus, self-abuse, and lack of self-esteem, we believed You had made us for greatness (even if we didn’t yet know that was You.)
God bring back our humility where we weren’t afraid to ask for help, to ask questions, to *not* know the answer. Remember when we listened to stories as one being taught, enamored by those who had come before us, curious about all the unknown, delighting in the new experiences we were afforded.
God bring back our courage. We liked to try new things even if we found out we didn’t like them. Remember the first time we tasted asparagus and steak, felt sand or a sunburn, the ice cream slide off the cone, or our knees shook while we stood on bleachers for a choir performance, swung the first bat, or saw the first sky full of stars. Or the time canoeing, snow sledding, or driving a car. We liked the new and we called it adventure. We didn’t say no, before we ever tried.
God bring back our confidence. Remember when we thought we could sing and we belted out the words, when we took pictures of ourselves in the mirror because we thought we looked good, and we jumped on the merry-go-round and went as fast as we could go with all our friends (because we were all friends). We lived to the full because we didn’t worry about what people *might* be thinking about us, what our outfit looked like, or if our hair needed highlights.
Life like a little child was for the curious, with a big support net to catch us and people who believed in us (even if it was not the people we wanted it to be.) At least somewhere or around someone we felt safe, we giggled and daydreamed, twirled our skirts, and walked barefoot in the dirt. We had big hopes and we believed we could do anything (even if we didn’t yet know we would need God’s power and strength to do it.)
“Don’t grow up, it’s a trap.”
Take the lowly position and be like a little child. If we think like a child, we will depend on Christ, admitting we need help, and trusting Him to lead our paths. We won’t be afraid because we will remember we have the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us. We will actually believe what Jesus said… if we believe, we will do what He did and even greater things. We will believe God! And we will not be able to imagine what God has in store for us who love Him!!
“He (Jesus!) called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” Matthew 18:2-5
