Wanted: explorers who refuse to grow up

Adulting is hard work.

Or, so I have heard.  A friend of mine posted recently that if you don’t grow up by age 60, you don’t have to.  Woo hoo! I’ve got less than three years to go!

Could it be that we’ve made adulting hard because we don’t really know what it means to grow up?

What would it be like if we all decided to be just big ol’ kids?

Here’s what I think it would be like: I think we wouldn’t be nearly as fearful as we are.  No kid is born believing in monsters.  No kid is born believing that unfamiliar things are dangerous.  Kids learn about fear from grownups who are either scary or fearful. 

That fear turns into cynicism and suspicion. “Grownups” don’t trust very well.  We question everyone else’s motives.  We require people to earn our trust.

Do you know what else fear turns into? 

It turns into racism and bullying.  When kids look at each other, they don’t see differences of skin color, physical attributes, backgrounds, or politics.  They just see other kids.  Racists and bullies aren’t born that way.  They are taught by insecure, fearful “grownups” who can only feel good about themselves by diminishing others.

And that’s not all.

That fear turns into greed, selfishness, and materialism.  Have you ever seen a kid playing with a stick, an empty box, or an empty paper towel roll?  They are happy with what they have until someone exposes them to what they don’t have.  “Grownups” only keep empty boxes so they have more storage crates for their accumulated stuff—stuff that they think represents success and security.

I heard someone say that we have a tendency to spend money we don’t have to buy stuff we don’t need to impress people we don’t even like!  All that is driven by fear and only “grownups” think that way.

But, wait! There’s one more.

That fear turns into realism.  Kids believe in stuff they can’t see.  Kids believe that anything is possible. “Grownups” know better.  They know that all you can depend on is yourself and what you can hold in your hands.  “Grownups” know that believing in things that aren’t realistic will just get you hurt.  Better safe than sorry.

And he [Jesus] said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)

Like little children.

Not childish, but childlike.

Not immature, but innocent.

My favorite daughter recently asked my favorite firstborn granddaughter, “How do you know I love you?”

Here’s the profound answer of an almost 5 year-old: “I know Mama.”

How do I know God loves me?  How do I know God loves you?  How do I know He has our best interest in mind?  How do I know our lives really matter to Him?

As a “grownup,” I have to look for evidence.

As His child, I know.

Let’s refuse to grow up.  Let’s explore and dream and live without fear because we trust and know our Father.

Be amazing today, my friend.