Earlier this week I let my inner child out.
Seek a childlike faith
My birthday served as the convenient excuse. I didn’t get dressed until 11:00am; and when I did get dressed it was into my most favorite clothes. The colors and styles clashed loudly but they rated exceedingly high on my meter-o-comfort. My daughter cringed when she heard that I had stepped out in public in my mis-matched birthday clothes.
I ate cake for lunch. Yum! Shockingly, though, I found it to be not nutritionally satisfying beyond the final swallow. With much delight, I discovered that we had the fixings for my second fav: tomato and avocado salad.
No clocks or timers guided my schedule. I had the day off from work. My family had work and school. Only our mischievous airedale placed demands on my day (in and out… cat!… bark… in and out… more barking…)
Discarding my usual boundaries of time and expectations opened the space for a delightfully creative day. I explored the writing program that I’ve been trying to master (Scrivener). Friends and family called and I chatted without an eye on the clock. I played catch with the dog. I journeyed through a few chapters in a massive epic novel. A stunning sunset dazzled to close the afternoon.
Then…my daughter made dinner. Best girl ever.
The day’s unhurried pace allowed an ever mindful sense of the Lord’s presence. In her book, Simple Acts of Moving Forward, Vinita Hampton Wright recommends finding your inner child as one means to help move beyond the daily craziness. Not in a new-age-find-yourself kind of way, but a day to merely be and to remember who you are.
Jesus once explained that this same childlike wonder best describes how we should come to Him (Matthew 18:2-4). No pretenses. No agenda. No schedule. The beauty of my birthday day came in the embrace of people and passions that the Lord has graciously brought into my life. No pretenses. No agenda. No schedule.
Then…the rest of the week happened. Huge laptop issues and the dreaded “factory reset”. Unexpected demands at work. Grief for a friend. Abundance of my children’s activities. Too much traffic!
And yet, these pressures remind me of the blessings I’ve been given. I am grateful for my wonderful friends, incredible job, resources to own a laptop, internet in my home, and my precious family. (Traffic…hmm … still working on the joy of this one!)
The joy of a childlike day reminded me of the call to a childlike faith. I want to increasingly cling to this child and live a simple, faith-filled life.
Your Turn
Design a childlike day. What would it look like for you? I’d love to your ideas!
