photo by: laura ruth
Our agenda was produce. We needed some peppers (which seem to be constantly working their price point up?) … side note, I know. We selected the perfect specimens and as we turned to leave a little girl comes up to my two year old, scoops her up in her arms, hugs her, lets her go and moves on. There were no words exchanged, no names given, no looks passed. One hug and one hug only.
My daughter stood there and looked at the girl with admiration. I watched the glow cast over her face and the longing she now had to be near this beautiful creature that had loved her so well. Probably three years her elder this little girl had treated her well and honored her, at the same time honoring her own mother who she was now diligently helping with groceries.
I was honored to see the exchange. It affected my day. It has affected my life. My mind twisted around the beauty of the purity in a child. And I have to admit I felt defeated. As I rejoiced for my daughter, I ached for myself. I didn’t feel childlike … wasn’t even feeling its possibility. And yet, I believed it could be. I knew it MUST be.
I don’t know many childlike adults. It’s as if once you hit adulthood you become jaded, cynical, mean. I’m not saying there aren’t plenty of wonderful, kind people in the world, but when it comes right down to it even a nice person has trouble trusting. What happened?
In that moment I felt helpless. Ok … children are helpless, but … I don’t want to be LIKE that!!! That’s part of the fight. I want to be grown up. Since the dawn of time we’ve wanted to know more than was ours to know. In the garden Satan tempts Eve by telling her …”God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will open and you will be like divine beings knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:5).” He’s saying God doesn’t know best. But he does. He’s baiting Eve and she takes it.
We MUST become LIKE children. We must learn to TRUST and RECEIVE. Only God can teach this. Only God can change a heart.
Matthew 18:3 I tell you the truth, unless you turn around and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!