Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Adulthood (07/30/09)
-
TITLE: A Few of My Childish Things | Previous Challenge Entry
By Alan Zimmerman
08/06/09 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
We all reach that time where we “need to grow up.” We’re told to “act our age” or “behave like an adult for a change.” Paul clearly wants us to be responsible, but maybe that doesn’t mean we have to put away all our childish things. Maybe we can, maybe we need to, hang to some of them.
The first time we saw a rainbow, it was amazing. Now, we know it’s all about light rays and prisms. The wonder is gone. We are so skilled at using science to explain everything that we ignore the Scientist who created it all.
A child can have a wonderful time with an empty box, a make-believe friend, some crayons and a piece of paper. They can make their own fun. When we become adults, there is a seriousness that’s expected. We can have fun, but we certainly can’t be silly – somebody might be watching.
As adults we need to be examples of how to live a Christian life. Unfortunately, many of my friends and I, while still working on our own lives, have become experts at telling others how to live theirs. We want to be Jesus and say to the adulteress, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more.” (John 8:11 NKJV) But we’re not Jesus! We’re the sinners ready to cast our stones. We’re playing the wrong role.
We’ll proudly proclaim that the meek shall inherit the earth and the righteous shall be redeemed, but we don’t believe it for a minute. We know how the world works. We’ve been down that idealistic road and as Pete Townshend said, we “won’t get fooled again.”
Many of us had a moment when Christ came into our lives that was both unbelievable and overwhelming at the same time. Now, we are so near to God, He’s like our next door neighbor. But He is anything but that. He is more awesome and powerful and loving and forgiving than we can imagine, yet the closer we get to Him, the more we take Him for granted.
When I became a man I gave up childish things. Now I’m a man of the world and I realize that I need to be more like a child to fully appreciate God’s kingdom. I’m ready to recapture some of my childish ways. If I see a ladybug crawling on a flower, I want to have a childlike wonder about it, not caring how it got there, but just that it did. I’m going to quack like a duck and crawl around like a dog sometimes, just to remind myself that the world doesn’t need my help in being serious – it needs my help in feeling joy in the most simple things. I want to see people just as they are, with all their sins and problems, and smile at them like a child would, without my learned prejudices and judgments. I’m ready for the return of childlike innocence so I can know that how you play the game really is what matters. And to believe so much that love never fails that I try living that way.
Most of all I want to be like a child who sings, “Jesus loves me, this I know …” with no other expectation than the love of a gracious God. Love that’s not earned, love that’s not deserved, love that’s freely given. I want to, once again, feel that awesome power of my God and my Savior, not just now and then, but all the time, humbled before Him.
The Bible tells us to be “in” the world, but not “of” the world. Maybe the only way to do that is to be like a child sometimes, innocent in God’s word, protected by God’s love, amazed by what God has created, and not ashamed to celebrate everything about our relationship with Him.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
