Driving home today after a few days in the city, and I look across the paddocks to see the sky lit up with orange, as the sun starts to set. I point out this beautiful scene to my children. After a few excited exclamations, Amy says, "God must really love us, to paint the sky so beautiful for us to see!". My heart does a little jump for joy, to see that my kids are not only enjoying creation, but seeking out the reason behind creation. The kids and I continue to chat about creation for a few more minutes, and the creator, and why he has created this amazing world. Then Amy suddenly poses a question, which I think is "Mum, can we Pray". I'm quite astounded by my 5 yr old daughter's 'spirituality'. In fact I am so astounded that I ask, "What was that honey?", to which the much clearer question comes out, "Mum, can we play, I just wanna get back to playing now!"
That's when I'm reminded about what I have always loved so much about children and spirituality. Children in one moment can go from connecting on a spiritual level, to redressing a paper doll! They can be deep in thought about creation and the creator, and suddenly revert to a game of eye spy. The most amazing thing about all of this, is that I believe that is exactly the way God likes it to be, and I'm sure there are times he would like some of us adults to be a little that way ourselves. Why is that? because in just being themselves and doing what they do best... playing, children are able to just be loved. As they play, as they sing, as they dance, as they imagine, God is around them, watching, enjoying, loving. Sometimes they know it, sometimes they don't. But there is those amazing moments in the middle of a paperdoll party, where a child looks up at the stunning sunset, and acknowledges God's love written across the sky.
I imagine that if Jesus walked this earth today, he might come to one of us very 'grown up & spiritually mature' people and ask the question, "Do you know how much I love you?' and I think that question would get a variety of responses from us, from "No, not really", "What? me? how could you love me?, to preaching a sermon back at him on why and how he loves us so much! But if Jesus came to my 5yr old Amy Grace, or many other children, and asked the question, "Do you know how much I love you? I can imagine that she would probably say, "How much?" with a rather, large and confident grin on her face, and then I can imagine that she would skip by his side, climb a tree, play hide & seek, and just generally enjoy being loved by Him, rather than questioning, or denying or philosophising!
How I love watching a child experience the wonders of Creation, and start to look beyond that, to find the Creator, then look further to find that the very reason for creation is LOVE for them! How I love to be reminded that sometimes I need to shed my 'grown up-ness' and just enjoy the painted sky and the many other wonderful ways that my maker shows me how much He loves me.
No comments:
Post a Comment