The Child's View

simplicity // 11
the Child’s View

Wasn’t the moon stunning? I climbed a nearby hill with my friend Rob, and we took my two eldest children (7 and 5) and Alice, his four-year-old. Just as we got to the top, we noticed a glowing spot on the horizon, and the magic began, as this balloon-like celestial body started to float up and away from the ground.

And it would have been a near-perfectly choreographed spiritual moment for us, had it not been for the kids. They’d taken a quick look but chose, instead of musing deeply, to hare around in the darkness like dervishes, making the most of every second of later-night freedom to shout, scream, play, jump, roll, laugh and have a “bundle”.

At one point, they crashed like a three-carriage train wreck into our sacred space and gasped for breath. Rob seized his moment. “Hey guys, where do you think God is, tonight?”. It caught them off guard for a second. “In a mud hut?” replied one. “With the poor!” said another, searching for the right answer. “Healing the blind!” said my girl, “like on Comic Relief.” At which point they lurched once more into the darkness.

Maybe “the little children” who wanted to come to Jesus were haring, too, when the disciples tried to stop them. You can almost imagine the kids shouting, “Blessed are the cheese makers!” before collapsing in hilarity.

“Unless you become like one of these,” Jesus said,”you will not enter the kingdom...” I’m not sure he was talking about entering heaven, so much as gaining life here on Earth, as it is in heaven. Joy. Abandon. Energy. Humour. Not taking things too seriously. Qualities we tend to leave frozen in the photos of our youth.

After all the lunacy, we decided it was time to go. The moon disappeared behind cloud, and it went very dark. As we eked out a closing reflection on the joys of being reconnected to God’s Creation, this, too, was shattered with brilliant finality by Alice, who shouted at the top of her voice into the deepest darkness of Hampshire: “THAT WAS THE BEST MOON-FIGHT I EVER HAD!”

Perhaps - to answer Rob’s earlier question - God had been there, moon-fighting with them, from the very start.

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action point

What does it mean for you to positively become like a child? Who were you, before the layers of ego began to settle like sediment, before you began to identify with the roles you played and the things you were good and bad at? Who were you before other people shaped you with their own expectations?

Why not write a short note of appreciation to your 7-year-old self, thanking them for who they are, affirming their energy and life, and giving them a gentle word of wisdom from your present self. What would you say to them? And what might they say to you, in return?


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action point

“I used to go out with a guy in the Midlands and though our meetings were fortnightly, we used to look at the moon together from our respective homes. Looking at the moon is still a treasured sign of love for me - and now you've added Jesus to that. Wahoo! Can't wait for my walk tonight. Thank you!”
Daphne

“I am so pleased that we live in Australia because I just saw the moon! You are in for a treat later! Enjoy!” Helen

“I'm heading towards the tender age of 40, my waistline is beginning to roll, my hair thin a little, my teeth require ever more expensive dental treatment to maintain my Hollywood looks... and then came a quiet moment when I read the Benedictine meditation and I was reminded of a hymn that I haven't sung in a long time ('Like a river glorious'):

‘Hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand,
Never foe can follow, never traitor stand;
Not a surge of worry, not a shade of care,
Not a blast of hurry touch the spirit there.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.’” Matt

“The Wait: ‘Is this a sign? Is that a sign?’ How those words often echo my own state. In a world where decisions must be made and action must be taken; in a job where the work must be planned and the clock must be followed; in a family where clubs must be attended and homework must be completed, it is sometimes so hard just to wait. How hard, when a prayer has been spoken, not to be impatient for 'the answer'. How do we really know when a reply has been offered? How can we hope to find it if we don't seek it out and try to make sense of our world, our experiences and our opportunities? Just wait? What a challenge. How long do we wait? When does waiting become apathy? When does waiting bypass potential? My word changed through the day from 'wait' to 'trust'.” Paula

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May you shout, scream, play, jump, roll, laugh or at least try to have a “bundle” today...
Go well!

Brian