Thoughts on Becoming a Child

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." -- Matthew 18:1-4

When I was raising my children, being a parent helped me learn about God, being that he is the perfect father. I learned about how he loves us and the capacity for love, about how he disciplines in love, and about how we his children grieve him. Now, having grandchildren, I'm learning about what it means to be a child and how can I be more like a child, since it's important to Jesus that I do so.

One thing about children is that everything is new to them. Nothing gets old. They are in a constant state of wonderment, except perhaps when their diaper is filled or they're hungry or tired. To my grandson Taylor (above) his first ride in a swing was an adventure beyond his imagination. Dust specks floating in a beam of sunlight is a whole new universe. The vaccum cleaner running is an astonishment. He greets all these things with wide eyes and open mouth, as if he's eating it all up.

Not us. As adults, we fall victim to what is called Inattentional blindness. It's the inability to see the routine. I remember when we first moved out to Port Washington. I recall feeling like I was going on a vacation every night as I drove out of the city from work and through the countryside to home. I don't feel that anymore, partly because development has blotted out much of the countryside, but also because it's become routine to me.

The sacred has become routine. Miracles constantly surround us, and we don't notice. We become unaware of God in our midst, as we become "grown ups."

As Mark Batterson writes in "Wild Goose Chase," "Eventually awareness fades and the constants in our environment becomes invisible. ... Spiritual maturity has less to do with long-range vision than it does with moment-by-moment sensitivity to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. And it is our moment-by-moment sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that turns life into an every-day adventure."

A couple more quotes on this subject:

• "Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God; But he who sees takes off his shoes. The rest sit around and pluck blackberries." -- Elizabeth Barrett Browning
• "Is it possible God says every morning, 'Do it again' to the Sun; and every evening, 'Do it again' to the moon? The repitition in nature may not be a mere recurrence; it may be a theatrical encore." -- G.K. Chesterton

I think one way to counteract this dullness of mind and spirit is to make an effort to quiet myself. Turn off the radio, the TV and the computer. Get outside and observe. As the Psalmist says:

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. -- Psalm 19:1-3

Am I listening?

A couple things from the Internet:

• How to get people to accept change.
• The 4 Habits of Bad Listeners.