Through the Eyes of a Five Year Old

"Daddy, be the asteroids!!"  This was the plea of my son yesterday as he created his "Solar System puppet show."  This time of social distancing has provided opportunities to interact with my family more than usual.  We have played numerous games and are brushing up on Disney movies.  It has been a welcome opportunity to invest in one another more.

Lately, I have found myself wondering what my five year old son will remember from this time of lockdown.  I have wondered if he will look back on it fondly, as a time when we spent more time together, or if he will even remember it at all.  Every night, while eating dinner together, my wife and I have asked our son what he enjoyed most about the day.  Invariably, his answers included activities such as fort building, baking brownies, eating cookies, painting, or playing games with "Mommy and Daddy."  As I contrast my son's answers with how I, as an adult, am processing this Pandemic situation, I am coming to realize that God is using my son to teach me some valuable lessons.

(1) Little moments matter -- My son repeatedly says to me, "Daddy, remember when we..."  It is often the little moments that matter the most.  An unexpected phone call, a quick note of encouragement, a few moments of intentional conversation, these are the things that we tend to remember about people.  It is easy to lose sight of the impact a few moments can have in someone's life.  We should each commit to redeeming the little moments in our lives.

(2) Enjoy the Now -- My son is not worried about the economy nor is he worried about what tomorrow will look like.  Certainly, as an adult it is my job to consider how the actions of today may impact the life of tomorrow yet, if you are like me, sometimes the thought of tomorrow dominates my today.  I wonder how many little moments I have missed in my life because I was attempting to live in tomorrow while the light was still shinning on today.  We should all strive to live into today, because today is all that we have.

(3) Trust like a child -- Jesus told His disciples that the Kingdom of Heaven is comprised of those who have faith like a child.  I am humbled by the complete trust my son has in me.  I know he can tell that things are not normal at the moment and that life has been turned upside down.  Yet he is not worried because so long as Daddy is nearby he knows he will be taken care of.  This is the kind of faith I am to have in my Heavenly Father.  Many times I have found myself wrestling for a sense of control when I should have been trusting.  Is letting go and trusting God easy?  Absolutely not!! It is the hardest thing I have ever had do to.  Perhaps this is why God credited Abraham's faith to him as righteousness.  I know that my son's trust in me warms my heart.  I can't help but think that when we choose to trust God, we warm His heart too.

(4) Desire relationship -- "Daddy, will you play with me?"  This phrase communicates a yearning to spend time with me.  It doesn't matter what he is doing, my son wants me to be a part of it.  How would my life look different if I had this level of desire to spend time with my Heavenly Father?  Certainly, I want to spend time with Him.  Yet, I have often found myself struggling against the clock.  Undoubtedly, carving out time for God communicates a desire to spend time with Him.  However, I long to have the yearning for spending time with God that my son has for spending time with me.

I imagine that as we continue to move through this time of lockdown my son will have more life lessons to teach me.  I wonder, what life lessons can you learn from your children?  As you navigate this unprecedented time, look for the lessons your children have to teach you.  If you are so inclined, share the lessons you have learned in the comments section of this blog.  What lessons will God teach you through your children?  Just watch closely and you will see.

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 26, 2020 at 6:42 AM

    What a great blog and such great insight. Good job brother.

    ReplyDelete

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