To be a Child

Being a parent has its challenges, they will try you and your patience in ways it has never been tried; they will push you to your limit; they are walking, talking tape recorders that will repeat every word you say and are usually very selective in the parts they share and tend to leave out the remainder of the context as they blurt it out to the last person you want to hear what you said.

But at the same time they are such a blessing, the cute things they say (too many to list), the innocence in them, the amazement they have with the most simple things in life, the way the can bring you to their level to just enjoy life if only for a moment to be a kid with them again.

Sometimes I wish I had a video recorder taping everything they do, to just see what all I miss out on in their lives. I often feel that I am missing out on what is important to them because I am busy doing daddy things, that have no importance at all to them.

I also feel that I don’t always hear what they are saying because I am the kind of person who remains silent most of the time and really don’t chit chat or care for gossip and such, and I am one who just wants to get to the point without all the “non essential details”. My wife and kids love to talk and my girl will talk your head off. Just last night my daughter rode home with my wife from Church and when they got home Kelli said she had started talking from the moment she got in the truck to the moment they got home. I am sure that every word she spoke was important to her and just wanted to let it out.

I thing when Christ said what he said in Matthew 18 he meant it.
3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

What is it to become like a child? Is it to act childish? I think not. I believe that it is just what I wrote about and the simple traits that a child has;
*The innocence of a child
*The ability to believe in something that you have never seen nor touched (ex. Santa, Easter Bunny)
*The honesty of a child
*The ability to talk to the Father and let him know what you need and are thinking
*The way a child is dependant on the parents
*The way a child looks to the parents for guidance
*The trust a child has in a parent to protect them from anything (especially the things live under the bed e.g. boogeyman)
*The way a child typically listens to a parent as the authority

God has the video recorder and is there with us every minute of every day, He listens to our every word, He will protect us, and He will provide for us what we need. Also just like children I am sure we test God with the stupid things we do.

I hope as a Christian I can do just this, while I try to grow the fruit of the spirit “self control” and do my best to not try God. I hope that I can be more like God in the way I treat my children.

I look forward to our vacation and being able to have the time to be a kid with them again and give them my full and undivided attention. I can't wait to build sandcastles on the beach with them, bury them in the sand, and just have a BIG TIME!

But I am sure I will be tested during the long drive there with 6 or us in the same vehicle, the constant "are we there yet" "how much longer" "I got to go again" "I'm hungry" "I'm thirsty" "She's touching me" "He's touching me" "She's looking at me" "He mad a face at me" "I'm hot" "I'm cold". GOD HELP ME!!!!!! and thank you God for technology and portable DVD players!






I found this in my e-mail archive and just had to share it. So true!