Everything I forgot about living I am re-learning from my kids.
I was a little freak when I was a kid. Constantly moving and shaking and always into something. I was imaginative and creative. Found joy and fun in the little things. I was powerful and fearless. Relentless in my desires. All before I was 10. That joy & imagination may have been robbed from me but it was always a part of who I was. After being victimized as a boy I continued a victim mentality as an adult. It wasn't until I saw the amazing brilliance of my children that I chose to become an overcomer and embrace the beauty of the childlike viewpoint I saw through their eyes. My kids have re-taught me these powerful lessons through their example;
1. Live with joy - my kids are always joyful. It's just who and how they are. They see sun and are joyful. They see rain and are joyful. They always find the joy in every little thing. Whether it's a story or a hug or a dinner or whatever - it's always the best and they are always joyful. That is a gift.
2. Be relentless - my kids are also master negotiators and salespeople. I thought I was good but I have nothing on them. They ask and ask and ask and ultimately they get what they were asking for or some variation therein. And if I give a flat no they listen - for a moment and then start the asking all over again. When I get stuck or low on power or have a moment of average - I think of their relentless pursuit of what they want and use them as inspiration.
3. There is nothing you can't be - my kids want to be everything. And change their minds constantly. They also believe they can be whatever they want. They play assume the roles of the people they want to be and are fully task confident in everything they engage. They have no fear of failure or rejection or loss. And it makes them so powerful. Why do I have to fight so hard to believe in what comes so naturally to them?
Scripture encourages us to be childlike. I never really knew what that meant before having children. But as I watch my kids be amazing little superfreaks I begin to understand what that means. As I engage their perspective on the world I realize I have always been as powerful as I needed to be. It seems to me I need to engage in their childlike point of view and be willing to believe.
