In one of our Sunday family bonding times in a restaurant, my wife and I posed a question for each member: "Name five great blessings from God today." Having in mind something that the children can easily relate, I answered, "The food on my plate, the coffee I'm drinking, the money in my pocket, your mom and you kids." When it was the turn of my 4-year old daughter Kaitlyn, she said, "My blessings are: love, earth, food, friends, and family." My jaw dropped. I was expecting, toys, ice cream and the like.
I was humbled by my own child.
"Jesus had a particular love for children because of 'their simplicity, their joy of life, their spontaneity, and their faith filled with wonder," said St. John Paul II. These are some child-like qualities we can ponder on and humbly adopt:
1. Simplicity
Have we the simplicity of a child? Yes, children want a lot of things; pointing to toys here and there -- but it’s about the simplicity of asking their fathers---in dependence---of they what they need. Have we simply asked God of what we need or do we complicate things with our pride and intellect? God is the source of all things great and small.
2. Joyfulness
Are we as joyful as children? When children play -- they play. Play means a lot to them, it’s the highlight of their day. I am not saying we should have a happy-go-lucky outlook amidst real life challenges -- we should deal with these problems; it’s just that many of us forget to “play” or to enjoy the beauty of life. Some of us have a negative thing to say of just about anything. Instead of being joyful, we become overly-cautious, mistrusting, and proud. Have a joyful mind-set; don’t be “nega.” For the overly busy ones, take time to rest and play -- and smile. Go ahead be joyful!
3. Spontaneity
A child is spontaneous; living in the moment! The adventurous person inside us needs to come out! I’m not talking about recklessness, but a life of adventure in the Lord. Say yes to that mission trip; climb that mountain; join that marathon; enroll in culinary; write that book. Be spontaneous! Just to put things in perspective, Malcolm Gladwell would describe spontaneous this way: “Basketball is an intricate, high-speed game filled with split-second, spontaneous decisions. But that spontaneity is possible only when everyone first engages in hours of highly repetitive and structured practice--perfecting their shooting, dribbling, and passing and running plays over and over again--and agrees to play a carefully defined role on the court. . . . spontaneity isn't random.” There too is a discipline in spontaneity; the discipline of prayer allows us to realize the adventures that God wants us to experience.
4. Faith filled with Wonder
Often, my 7 year old son asks me tough theological questions: “Why is Jesus “yayay” (hurt)?” or “What does ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ mean?” With much curiosity and anticipation he awaits my answers -- with wonder. We take a cue from the faith of a child. A child has a “faith seeking understanding.” (St. Anselm) If we have a child-like faith, we will not stop learning about our faith. We’d be excited to go to Church and listen to the Word of God and the homily; we’d be buying books to enrich our faith-knowledge.
In the eyes of the child, “Everything is Awesome.” (The Lego Movie) Especially for a toddler who mostly sees, smells, touches, tastes, and hears things for the first time. We too can see all of life as an awesome gift of God; not to be overly-familiar but constantly renewed with gratefulness and wonder.
Let us be fully aware of our being God’s children; greatly loved in the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us be in the Father’s arms -- simple, joyful, spontaneous, and with a faith filled with wonder! We are great in the eyes of God, just as how an earthly father looks at his own children, but infinitely more and in the most perfect sense. To be great is to acknowledge in all humility that we are God’s children.
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