Through the Eyes of a Child

On Sunday night, for the first time in a long time I had the ability to run around and catch frogs. Its something that my sister and I haven't been able to do since we moved from our prior home. We used to run around for hours together (before we got all of my other siblings) and simply catch frogs, toads and salamanders. We truly loved the outdoors and we gained an appreciation for God's creation. Then today, I joined my two youngest sisters and more family, at the aquarium. I am not a huge animal person but its a beautiful thing to look at, knowing that God literally created all of it.

When we were kids, everything seemed much simpler. Kids view stressful situations different than when they become adults. I remember being able to look at things and simply enjoy them, but now I find myself looking past things because my to-do list is to long to pause and enjoy life. The stress in my life and in your lives I'm sure, is very great. You don't have to be a mom to have that pang in your chest when you are ready for bed, but the house isn't clean. There are bills to pay, kids to shuffle around, cars that need fixing, people that need helping. The list goes on.

So with everything running through my mind, about the list of chores and paperwork that needs to be done, I haven't had much time to stop and relax. I love playing with children. I always have, in fact most of the jobs that I have ever had, surround children. I am that person that stands and watches kids (the ones I'm in charge of) and wonders what they are dreaming up in their minds. I think that most of us have forgotten what its like to view the world as something beautiful, rather than something stressful.

Picking up those silly little frogs doesn't seem like such a big deal. It didn't feel like a big deal for me either until all the kids ran up to me and wanted to hold the frog. The kids lit up with excitement, literally jumping for joy over these things. Their eyes can tell you a lot about what they are thinking and feeling. Something so small attracts their attention. It brought me back to the adventures that my sister and I used to have. For a few moments I felt this sense of relief. Though the stress of trials and tribulations consumed me, for that second, it didn't matter.

I was back in my old backyard chasing butterflies, saving birds and capturing wildlife. The world was in our hands, not on our shoulders like it is now. I long to go back to that time when our only responsibility was to obey Mom and Dad, and follow the life that Christ set out for us (which is a huge deal but nothing to stress over at the time). Growing up is what we all long for as children because we don't know what it will be like.

I'm not saying that I am unhappy being a grown up, but I've lost the picture of the world that I held as a child. I cannot go back to a time that was easier, but maybe there is something that we can learn from children. Their view of the world is this beautiful, wonderful work of Christ. We have a different view because of our many life experiences that left a bitter taste in our mouths. I challenge you, and I challenge myself to take a step back and look at the world through a child's eyes, and learn to appreciate every single thing that God created for us. No matter how small it is, it was crafted by His hands. I thank the Lord for letting me view His creation through the eyes of a child the other night.