More Than Just A Visit

Mark 10:15 – I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it. (NIV)

My two young granddaughters were fishing, while my friend and I visited on her private pier behind her house. For us, this was just an ordinary visit — we had sat here and watched the sun go down many times before.

For the girls with their fishing poles, though, it was an experience straight from the pages of a storybook. One found a goose egg, partially buried in the sand at the water's edge. The other caught a turtle on her line. Many options were tried before finally cutting the line and letting the turtle go back into the water with hook attached. The girls reeled in several small fish, which they threw back, with squeals of joy.

"Isn't this fun?" one said to the other.

My friend and I were enjoying this visit too. We were seeing life through the eyes of two seven-year-olds. How long had it been since we had been excited about a goose egg, or fish too small to keep? Our visits were mundane and routine — accepting the beauty of the setting sun as our due in life.

Matthew 18:3 – And [Jesus] said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (NIV)

If we are to enter the kingdom of heaven, we need to view life through the eyes of a child. We need to look at the ground beneath our feet, the sunset at day's end, and the simple things that give meaning to our lives.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes that we may see the joys of this world as seen by a little child. Fill us with wonder and expectation again. Amen.