I am not naïve to the many situations where children are placed in dire and adverse circumstances. I do not need to list examples.

The world in which we live and the headlines to which we are subjected are evidence enough that for many, childhood and the experiences which are inherently beautiful therein, have been robbed from these innocent ones.

It’s a time to be playful.

Isn’t that which fuels a child’s engine?

As a grandfather of eight little ones ranging in age from 3 to 11, I am honored to have a front row seat to the magic of their lives, albeit from a distance due to geographic gaps.

Although the older children still capture the wonder of being a child, they are approaching the age where childlikeness is gradually being baked out of them.

The younger grandkids simply are content with their carefree existence. It is an age I love as they take you at your word, every word!

Most mornings, when they arise from a night’s sleep they do not ponder what they will eat or what they will wear or what they will do on a given day.

In short, they hit the ground running and do not think twice about it. The thought, “How am I going to afford breakfast?” never, ever enters their little mind.

He or she toddles to the table, climbs up in the chair, and all but demands to be served.

They know full well they will be fed. They do not question how nor how much it may cost.
They inherently know it will all be provided.

It seems like Jesus had a few things to say about this topic to those of us who long to be a child again.

In the Book of Matthew, He tells us not to worry about everyday life. Specifically, he cautions us to not be concerned about having enough food, drink, or clothes to wear.

He throws in the line about the birds of the air and the lilies of the field and tells us how much more valuable we are to Him.

He said it. That settles it. We should pay attention to it.

I recall aspects of my childhood vividly. I was the oldest of five children.

My parents worked hard and did their best to take care of us. My Dad worked as a gas company serviceman and had side jobs. My Mom was the traditional homemaker, with a cottage industry on the side baking cakes, special occasion cookies, and wedding cakes for a growing clientele.

They did what they had to do and I love them for it. However, I do not recall questioning if or when the next meal would come.

My days, especially when I was old enough to play baseball, were filled with the constant reminder that I was a kid and my time was to be spent doing kid things. I recall bouncing a rubber baseball against a brick wall for hours on end.

In my imaginary world, I became the superstars of my hometown team, the Pittsburgh Pirates. I played imaginary games and I became an array of imaginary heroes who came through in the clutch.

When it was not baseball, there were pickup games of football played on the streets with our official yard line markers interspersed between parked cars. We rose to the challenge despite the potential traffic obstacles.

Basketball and street hockey rounded out the table of sports offerings from which I gladly dined. Hide and seek was commonplace and we had a hillside to explore as we lived near a wooded area.

As I grew into an adult, married, and had a family of my own I welcomed each facet of my life of no longer being a child but a man. The issues of employment, provision, housing, and the like are all part and parcel of our everyday existence. This is normal.

Can I let you in on a little secret?

There are times where I think it would be awesome to time travel, even for a brief visit, to those days of yesteryear when life was carefree and abundant with the things of childhood. The thought of doing so even as I type brings a smile to my face and it warms my soul.

I have a hunch that as you read this, you might be longing for the same or your better version of the same. It’s OK. Let down your hair a little, assuming you still have some!

My encouragement to you is this, become a child again. Take life less seriously even for a moment or two. Enjoy the magic of the momentary respite from the day-to-day activities of adulthood.

The Father has a wonderland of abundance for you to revisit. If your childhood was wonderful, be thankful for it.

If your childhood was difficult, He provides an open door for healing and to rediscover who He created you to be – His child!

Jesus invites us to join Him.

“Learn this well: Unless you dramatically change your way of thinking and become teachable like a little child, you will never be able to enter in. Whoever continually humbles himself to become like this little child is the greatest one in heaven’s kingdom realm.” (Matthew 18:3-4 TPT)

I personally look forward to any visit with any of my grandchildren. It’s a time where I plan on being childlike.

It’s time to take five and simply be a kid again or for the very first time.

What’s stopping you from knowing the abundance found in simply being a kid?

You will not regret doing so.