Day 3: Childlike Faith

“He 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

When Elijah turned 6 in July, we went to a local park to celebrate. At this park, there is a giant caterpillar to climb. He climbed up and over and here’s a shot of the birthday boy:

Annabelle wanted to get to the top, but at the ripe ole age of 7 1/2, she was already crippled by fear.

Unfortunately, she has seen me afraid of heights. Even shopping at the mall, I won’t go too close to the railing. When staying several stories up at the beach, I dislike the kids leaning over the balcony, and I will get very panicky with them. I taught my daughter how to be afraid.

After seeing her desire to climb and watching so many kids smaller than her clamor and accomplish the feat, I decided that my husband and I were on a mission to see her climb to the top.

It was my 7 1/2 year old’s lack of childlike faith at this moment that gave way to my desire to restore it not only for her but for myself and my family.

Daniel and I spent what felt like an eternity coaxing Annabelle up to the top and over the whole of the caterpillar. She needed help to overcome her fear to be reminded that she was just a girl. She is like me – too old for her age. I hope this is not a trait of all firstborns. 🙂 When she finally got there, she was proud. The pride didn’t come right at completion though because it was hard work that she wasn’t sure she wanted to do, but as she looked back on her achievement, she was happy.

Truly this moment was a metaphor in so many ways for my journey toward simplicity. It spurred me to make changes in our family life and in me. I began studying my children, and any others I would see. Here’s a few observations I made:

• children jump up and down when they see squirrels.
• they kiss stuffed animals, pretend they are real, and ask you to join in their pretend play.
• they believe that after dark the alligator at the zoo roams free.
• they are not afraid to ride the carousel and never think it makes them look silly.
• their excitement is contagious and rarely contained.

I think at the center of the journey toward simplicity is becoming like a little child. The journey is hard and perseverance is required (just like with Annabelle’s climb to the top); we learn that we have fears to overcome, but despite the difficulty, simplicity is driven by joy and fun, and taking time to slow down and enjoy the life you’ve been given.

Optional to do:

1. If you have children, intentionally make time to play with them for at least 10 minutes today. As you are playing, think about the fun your child is creating for you. Think about how you can do this in other areas of your life.
2. If you don’t have children, pick one of the observations I made from watching kids and emulate it.

I hope this makes you laugh. My kids told me this “joke” the other night, so I thought today would be a good time to share it.

In what ways do you need to become like a child?

Photo Credit: Sharon Mollerus