This was exactly what my granddaughter and I were talking about yesterday in her return to the states after her foreign exchange student university studies in France…there it is rude to ask what do you do for a living…they ask what are you passionate about in your life. What a difference.
“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” (Thank you Howard Thurman)
And speaking of coming alive, there is no doubt that a child’s laugh could simply be one of the most beautiful sounds in the world. Or John Cleese’s observation, “The most creative people have this childlike facility to play.”
So, what makes my heart sing?
Let me never lose childlike wonder.
It is no surprise that Jesus talked about becoming like a child.
One day, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” (Gospel of Matthew)
They had been spending the day (or more) arguing and fussing among themselves. You know, who would be the greatest? (You know, keeping score, because, somehow, that matters most.)
They finally take the dispute to Jesus, to settle the matter.
Perhaps they thought (hoped) Jesus would choose one of them (or at least tell them how to become the greatest, with a parable, or a prophetic type of answer).
What they did not ever expect, was Jesus’ response. He said, “unless you become like a child.”
Oh my.
This week, we’ll been talking about this invitation, to “become like a child.” The invitation to remember and to reclaim the profound sense of joy, innocence, trust, taking delight in the sacrament of the present.
Yes, we do forget. Life can harden us.
And Jesus said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:3-5 NIV).
“Like a child.” We are present, and in this moment, we welcome the gifts that resonate and grow. Gifts of tiny delight, and kindness, and compassion, and tenderness, and enchantment, and gladness, and even embracing what we have been told to distrust or is different. And yes, laughter. And play.
In other words: Life isn’t a race or a contest or a beauty pageant.
So, this is my prayer: I want the “child in me” to be awake and fully alive, in this life, in this moment, the very one I am living today. I want to give way to gladness, contentment, joy and gratitude. And yes, to laughter. And to a heart that sings. Even, and especially, when life feels heavy or upside-down. Sabbath Moments Terry Hershey – Rest. Renew. Live.
Quote for our week…
"Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven." Henry Ward Beecher
God created the world and all that is in it.
On the seventh day, He created peace and tranquility through rest. In Genesis 2:3, the English word "rested" is a translation of the Hebrew sabat, which has the basic meaning of ceasing or coming to an end and therefore finding rest.
And after His work of creation God "put" Adam in the garden of Eden in Genesis 2:15.The Hebrew word translated as "put" here is nuah; interestingly, it's not the common word for this action (sum).Rather, as Bible scholar G. K. Beale points out, nuahoften communicates overtones of rest!
Did you catch that? God created humans, and then He placed them in a peaceful posture within the context of rest.And in Genesis 1:26-28, we see that God gave Adam and Eve vocation and responsibility to be good stewards of His good creation: This work was intended to flow from the peace and rest God had achieved for them already. The order here matters. God did the work. He created all that needed to be created. Then on the seventh day, He created peace and tranquility through His own rest. He placed humanity in Eden to experience the peace and rest He established so they could begin their vocation from a place of rest.
People were never intended to work for our rest; we were always intended to work fromthe rest of God. First5
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