"Mom?" the 4 year old says walking into the kitchen.
"Yes?"
"Mom, how many dollars does a big kid bed cost?"
"Maybe 2 or 300 dollars."
The 4 year old stands thinking for a moment.
"Mom, can we get 300 dollars so I can get a big kid bed?"
"Why do you want a big kid bed?"
"Well, I want to get the 'How to train your dragon' blanket for my bed but my bed is too small so I need a big kid bed so the blanket will fit."
I love my nephew. He constantly wants to have fun. He's taught me a lot about how life should be; not too serious, smile at everything and love everyone for who they are.
I was thinking last night as I was going to sleep, how much I wish I was more like Jayden. Over the years from being picked on, teased, dumped, re-dumped, turned down, and embarrassed, my view of others and myself have become a little tainted.
My personal 4 year old is harder to bring out. It's interesting to me how easily kids believe and also how fragile they are to that fading away.
I told someone close to me recently how I admire those around me that place God above everything else. They don't see certain movies or listen to certain music because they understand that maybe, just maybe, God can run their life better than they can. And they want to stay as close to that guidance as they can.
Because God knows me, better than I know me.
Period.
I love that he wants a big kid bed just for the blanket!! That's so cute!
ReplyDeletewell said.
ReplyDeleteI think your blog is my new favorite. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I too want a "How to Train Your Dragon" bedspread. :]
When I was fifteen-ish I found the hymn "Lead Kindly Light" (#97) and absolutely fell in love with it. The song presents an attitude of trust in something greater than oneself (namely the Christian God) the midst of a very dark world. The attitude of letting go of oneself to the greater good is one that I've admired over the years.
ReplyDeleteWhile I can hardly say that I view God in the same way that you do, I would say that I agree with you on this point: that in order to become something better than what we are, we must trust that this world can become better and that, perhaps, there is something greater to this world, some meaning to it all that should cause us to care about the other in a way that's more profound than we would at first see.
I've rambled, I think, too much but I have one last thought:
There is a quote I found a while back in a book on Non-violence that states...
"The issue, is not whether God is on our side, but if we are on God's side."
- Kenneth Kuanda
And to me that has brought forth a point that I miss quite a bit when discussing theology. That is that the universal command of religion (that Jesus states well in Matthew 22:36-40 and previously to that by Hillel) is that we come to truly love each other and love God. The rules or the rituals or even the accuracy of this or that story are not truly the issue, the issue is "being on God's side" and truly caring for each other.
- Saralyn