Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Unleashing Our Inner Kid!

Jesus was and is a kid friendly Savior. He loves everyone and that includes every girl and boy. When He was here on earth, He knew all about the human family that occupied the planet and He often used children to illustrate what God would like to see from His children, those born again believers who put their faith and trust in Him. Children are by nature trusting. They find their security and confidence in those who are their parents. Jesus on one occasion said unless we become as little children we will not be able to enter into the kingdom of heaven. He was talking about a child like faith that would trust solely in God, the Heavenly Father, and His provision through His Son, for their eternal security and confidence.

This past Sunday I was able to spend some time with our grandchildren and observe their behavior. The little ones are just like the model Jesus used as they abandon themselves to their world while depending totally on their parents to make certain they are safe and sound. As they grow older they become a little less free to enjoy the life they have as they pursue other interests. Then, when they reach those teenage years they are being pulled in all directions in trying to figure out their identity and fit. I saw a book title that had this inscription, "No Grown-ups In Heaven." The author was playing up the significance of people becoming as a little child in order to operate in total submission to the heavenly Father.

But as Art Linkletter used to say, "Kids do say the darnedest things." Here's a few chuckles on the subject of love. When asked why love occurs between particular people here's some of their answers: "One of the people has freckles and so he finds somebody else who has freckles too." (Andrew, age 6) "No one is sure why it happens, but I heard it has something to do with how you smell ... That's why perfume and deodorant are so popular." (Mae, age 9)"I think you're supposed to get shot with an arrow or something, but the rest of it isn't supposed to be so painful." (Manuel, age 8) In talking about the role of looks in the pursuit of love, here's some more insights: "If you want to be loved by somebody who isn't already in your family, it doesn't hurt to be beautiful." (Anita C., age 8) "It isn't always just how you look. Look at me. I'm handsome like anything and I haven't got anybody to marry me yet." (Brian, age 7) "Beauty is skin deep. But how rich you are can last a long time." (Christine, age 9)

When asked how people act when they are in love, the responses were pretty much on target: "Mooshy ... like puppy dogs ... except puppy dogs don't wag their tails nearly as much." (Arnold, age 10) "All of a sudden, the people get movie fever so they can sit together in the dark." (Sherm, age 8) Finally, if you observe adults in a restaurant, how can you tell they are in love? "Just see if the man picks up the check. That's how you can tell if he's in love." (Bobby, age 9) "They will just be staring at each other and their food will get cold ... Other people care more about the food." (Bart, age 9) "Romantic adults usually are all dressed up, so if they are just wearing jeans it might mean they used to go out or they just broke up." (Sarah, age 9) "See if the man has lipstick on his face." (Sandra, age 7) "It's love if they order one of those desserts that are on fire. They like to order those because it's just like how their hearts are... on fire." (Christine, age 9)

Children are a blessing from the Lord and no matter how old we get we are still called a child of God. Yes, we are supposed to mature, grow, develop, and build strong spiritual muscles, discipline, and character. However, we are never to grow out of our child-like faith, dependence, and abandonment to our Father who is in heaven. Unfortunately, as we make our way in the pilgrimage of life, we mature, but far too many of us at the same time lose our kid heart that God wants us to always have in our relationship with Him. Good lesson for a Wednesday morning especially for someone I know all too well. He's the fellow at the keyboard and he knows exactly who I am talking about. Have a great day and may God bless. Amen. ........More later.

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