Childlike Wonder and Trust

 

(April 28, 2021) “We don’t stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop  playing.” –George Bernard Shaw 

Our kids and grandkids were in town for the past week or so. Imagine the  excitement in our house with three children ages two and under! What happy  days we had! The ‘little people’ noticed all kinds of miracles -- things that we take  for granted because we don’t see them as miracles anymore. And so this week,  I’m going to invite and encourage all of us to take a lesson from these little ones:  Let’s find the miracles all around us by approaching each day with the eyes of  WONDER. Let’s find JOY in what we tend to call ordinary! 

Go for a stroll and look as if you’re seeing everything for the first time. Find joy in  smelling the lilacs. Watch the cardinals ‘dance’ as they flit among the tree  branches. Find a pond and watch the ducks paddling around. Laugh when they  duck their heads under water for food! Toss a stick into a stream or river and  notice how fast it flows. Sometimes the ducks go with the flow – THAT looks  funny! Turn off the voices in your head and really listen to the sounds around you.  Notice the variety of bird calls. If you’re lucky enough to hear a woodpecker, smile at the image of it banging its head against a tree to get its food. (Woodpeckers  are one of my favorites; I think they prove that God has a sense of humor.) God  created all of this for us to enjoy! 

Also, children are trusting beings. When they’re hungry, they ask us for food.  When they’re outside, we keep them away from traffic. When they’re afraid, they  hold onto us tightly, knowing we’ll keep them safe.  

Let’s approach God in the same way. Let’s look around with awe at His miracles of  creation – including the miracle of us! Let’s remind ourselves that we are God’s children; He loves us more than we love our own kids and grandkids, as difficult as  that is for us to comprehend. Let’s ask Him to provide for us, guide us, and  protect us. Let’s trust Him to stay by our side every day, in all circumstances – all  we have to do is ask. This might sound simplistic, and yet I believe it’s at least part  of the message of Matthew 18:2-3: “He called a little child to him, and placed the 

child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become  like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” 

“Lord, open my eyes to the wonders all around me. Let me find joy in all of Your  creation. Help me to trust You with childlike trust.” 

This article is a personal reflection by Gina Bedell © 2021. It and other reflections written by her invite  the reader to ponder a given topic and then seek deeper answers through prayer, additional spiritual  reading, and/or consultation with clergy or other persons who may guide the reader to a deeper faith  and understanding of God’s love and will for their life.