The Need to be Childlike

The other day, I found myself in a brief conversation with a friend about reverting back to childhood.  He brought it up in reference to eating scrambled eggs (what is it with guys and food?), and I responded that we should all revert back to childhood on a regular basis.  If we don't, we risk growing up to be losers with a horrible sense of morality and an eye that twitches (anyone seen "The Kid"?).  Ok... maybe it won't be that bad, but we still lose something when we let go of our inner child.

I want to make it clear that I'm talking about being "childlike" and not "childish".  Childishness has become the way we refer to all the negative things about being a child: selfishness, temper tantrums, etc.  Being childlike is all about the positive things: innocence and wonder, excitement, etc.  I believe that's why we have both the admonition to become mature in our faith as well as Jesus' challenge to become like children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven.  We need to leave the childish things behind while maintaining our childlike innocence and trust.

But it seems to be getting harder and harder to do that in this day and age.  Innocence seems to be lost earlier and earlier as the reality of the world presses in.  The stress of finding success, figuring out what we're supposed to be doing, providing for ourselves and our families, building and maintaining relationships-- in the midst of all of this, we forget what it means to take delight in the world around us, to be excited by the small things.  Lately I've been taking time each day to stop and be still and silent in Papa's presence.  Being a visual person, I find myself picturing what it might look like to be in His presence... and usually in that picture I'm either curled up in His lap or dancing with abandon as He watches with a smile.  I long to be that 8-year-old version of myself again: free to crawl up on Papa's lap and rest there; so filled with joy and love that I can't help but dance.  I'd gladly give up the stress of the last few months to go back to the days of innocent dreams and the belief that they could come true, that I might someday be a pilot and have a dog named Chester (the world's greatest dog!)... Ok that's another reference to "The Kid"... but you get the idea.

So I wonder if maybe the moments of delight we have as adults are a reminder to take some time to revert back to childhood.  What are the things that excite you?  What are the things that cause you to stop and wonder?  What do you delight in?  Take some time to stop and do those things.  Revert back to childhood-- even for a few moments-- and then let that feeling carry you back into the reality of being an adult.