Let's Be Like a Young Child--By Dr. Regina Surber, Director of Preschool and Children’s Ministries

By spending time around young children you will notice several characteristics that we adults seem to have lost.

• Young children give 100% of their focus and abilities to whatever they are doing. They have not learned the art of multitasking; thus, they never do anything in a
  half-hearted way. They also have the persistence to stay with what they are doing until they are satisfied with their project. Do we give that much of ourselves to the tasks before us as we serve in Jesus’ name?
• Young children only know the present. They do not worry about the past or the future. They are not constantly trying to fix things. They just want to enjoy the moment in which they find themselves. They are spontaneous and live their life to the fullest. How long has it been since we took time to just stop and enjoy where we are at any given moment?
• Young children are naturally curious, adventurous, and inquisitive. Their days are spent exploring the world around them. Boys and girls want to know the who, the what, the when, the how, and the why of everything they encounter. Their natural wonder at God’s creation is a marvelous thing. Have we lost our inquisitive nature?
• Young children are non-judgmental. They do not notice, nor do they care about, the color of someone’s hair or skin, whether they are short or tall, what kind of clothes they wear, the house they live, in or car they ride in. They just want to play with friends. Are we that accepting of those we encounter?
• Young children are real in the way they express their emotions. They can be fully in love with you one minute and be fully mad at you five minutes later. They have the uncanny ability to be your best friend, and not your best friend, so quickly that it can make your head spin. They are 100% invested in their emotions at any given moment. But the special thing about young children is that they can easily move past their hurt feelings and they do not hold grudges. Their love for others is genuine, forgiving, and all inclusive. Have we lost this ability to love, forgive, and move on?
• Young children are open and friendly. They do not need to know about politics, religions, finances, job classifications, or what part of town someone lives in. They have not as yet formed attitudes and perceptions about other people as adults have done. They just know that their friend likes to play ball with them. Have we lost the ability to set aside the attitudes and perceptions we have formed as adults and just get to know someone as a person created by the same God that we worship?

Let’s all try to be a little more like a young child; and we may find the world suddenly seems to be a much more enjoyable place.