The voices of children are among the sweetest sounds on the earth. I truly believe that in moments of stress, doubt or worry all we have to do is close our eyes and seek out the voices of children. We will immediately be taken back to our own childhood, where times and tasks were simple and we were not yet tarnished by "...the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for things..." (Mark 4:19).
Since I haven't yet been blessed with grandchildren and I teach teen-agers (you DON'T want to listen to their conversations); I only get this chance during the summer, up at our cottage on the lake. We have a screened in porch with a very comfortable futon that is perfect for napping. Our cottage sits just a bit away from a sand box, basketball hoop and make-shift baseball diamond and the lake. This area is affectionately known as "the Point," because it serves as a gathering place for all the cottage celebrations, like the 4th of July or kids' birthday parties, food tasting, bonfires, and games like Bag Toss, Kick the Can, Capture the Flag or Flashlight Tag. Because of the fact that sound carries over water, I can usually hear the voices of the children screaming in excitement over who is captured or found. Their cheering voices are not rough like the cheers at an adult sporting event, but rather the pleasant fizz that comes from a popped can of cola. Their squeals of delight over a team win can indeed lift anyone's spirits! Listening to their conversations also brings a chuckle when you hear things like, "We were boys yesterday, but men, today," coming from a triumvirate of 10-year old boys. Now, I didn't know or care to ask what was the reason for this comment, but I did pass it one to one of the boys' fathers.
So my advice is if you don't have a chance to be immediately around children, take a walk to the park with a boring book and just sit there and listen.
"Except ye be converted, and BECOME AS LITTLE CHILDREN, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3 ).
What you're describing, the attitude we start out with as children, is living in the moment, with wonder and excitement. Soon though, like the ten year old boys whom you heard calling themselves men, we think that the future offers more rewards than the present. When I was a child, I'd think: I can't wait till I'm thirteen, I'll be a teenager. Then I wanted to be sixteen, so I could drive. Eighteen, so I could vote. Enjoying 'right now' is still my challenge. Maybe listening to children's voices will put my temporal perspectives in better focus. Thanks, Eagle!
ReplyDeleteThank you for reminding us of the blessing that children are. All too often we tend to minimize their precious perspective and their hope-filled zest for life. Little ones can teach us a great deal - they have not yet become cynical and they are typically very trusting. In fact, as you mentioned, Jesus instructs that we must be child like in order to enter the kingtom of heaven.
ReplyDeleteI posted a comment previously but it seems as though it may not have been received, I just wanted you to know that I appreciated your insights into the value of childlikeness.
ReplyDeleteThank you.