I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day and an awesome week coming to a close for you!
Last Sunday I was reading my bible and I came across the following scripture:
- "You have taught the little children to praise you perfectly. May their example shame and silence your enemies." Psalm 8:2
The things we can learn from watching, listening to and truly valuing children, the Little Teachers, is quite simply amazing...if only we will have a teachable spirit. Please allow me to share just a few observations with you:
- Every day in the life of a child starts with wonder and excitement...the possibilities are endless. If you have ever had the opportunity to wake up in the same home with one of these Little Treasures, you know what I am talking about. It's interesting that as they get older this slowly, sadly, begins to fade...they start to become more like most of us.
- In the eyes of a little child each day is a fresh start...their grace, their forgiveness is truly amazing. As a Dad I have done and said some of the stupidest things a person could ever say and do. After the boys have gone to bed my spirit truly grieves, I pray and ask God for forgiveness and then I can't wait for these Great Teachers to wake up so I can ask them for forgiveness. Time and time again they come up to me in the morning, I offer the most heart-felt apology I can offer and they look at me like "what are you talking about?" In their minds that was a different time, all that matters is today and hey, we are together so it has to be a great day. How different than how many of us approach each day!
- Ever notice how all babies and little kids will smile at everyone? Nothing else matters...there is a person so you smile. You recognize and value them.
- Ever notice how all kids will look at everyone? Oh yeah, this one makes us nervous as parents because there are certain people you don't look at, right? Don't look at the homeless person because they might talk to you. Don't look at the person who is dirty and dis-shelved because they are...well, dirty and dis-shelved. It strikes me as ironic that in talking to a woman who used to work with the homeless they always said the thing that hurt the most was that they were invisible...nobody would look at them, recognize them.
- Have you ever heard a Little Teacher talk about any job that was not great? No, they don't get caught up in titles, status or appearance...there is greatness in every job.
- How about this one; ever come across a Little Teacher who didn't believe in their Mom, Dad, Aunt, Uncle...anyone they come into contact with. No...they believe in everyone unconditionally. Nothing has to be proven or earned at the start - within their spirit they see and believe in the greatness in the person before them. Period.
- When is the last time that you saw a 4 or 5-year old who didn't have time to play with his or her friends, or with you, because they are texting, on the cell phone, etc. Often, if you are blessed to have a Little Teacher around, they will beg you to stop doing those things and just be with them.
- So I am driving my 15-year old and my 6-year old to school this week. We are zooming along and then I hear the voice of a great Little Teacher from the back seat say, "That is beautiful." As I looked to my right I saw the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. The sky was painted the most majestic colors, reflected off soft, billowy clouds. How come my older son and I did not notice this beautiful gift until the Little Teacher pointed it out? How come the Little Teachers always notice these things - often when we are trying to hurry to...something - and they always want to stop to enjoy the beauty of the sky, a bird, bug, etc.
- When is the last time you heard a Little Teacher tell you something is impossible? They truly believe you can fix anything, do anything and most importantly, they are willing to try. Impossible is simply not a word in the vocabulary of a child.
- What is the one thing a Little Teacher wants more than anything else? To be with you. Period. It doesn't matter what you are going to do, they just want to be with you. My Beautiful Bride and I would laugh when our older boys were younger and I would say, "Do you wanna go with me?" and they would immediately say yes. They didn't know where we were going, what we were going to be doing, how long it would take, etc. They simply wanted to go because that meant we were going to be together. With my 6-year old Little Teacher I don't laugh...I cherish it.
So a few thoughts:
- This spirit, the greatness of a Little Teacher is within each and every one of us...we were born with it, placed there - I believe - by a loving God. Then life happens. Someone fails us. Someone tells us something can't be done. We get told by someone how we are supposed to act, think, feel, etc. It strikes me as so ironic that we start out right, taught to "praise perfectly", we then are told this other stuff by the world, spend time trying to conform to the world and then, when we finally start living like the world tells us to live, we spend tons of time and money trying to get back to what we first were...a Little Teacher. No matter who you are or where you are this day when you read this, know that this greatness, this goodness, this wonder, this awe, this hope is in you. It just might be buried. If so, please dig and uncover it.
- I was driving home listening to the radio last night and the guy on the radio was talking about how we have to teach our children how to act, how to behave, etc. He then said, "we know that they learn much more from what we do than what we say." It struck me as so ironic; these Little Teachers who are filled with wonder & excitement, grace & forgiveness, who recognize everyone, who don't care about status, who believe in everyone including themselves, who don't care about cell phones and computers, who notice the beauty in everything and who desire more than anything else to just be with you need us to teach them how to act...really? Who taught them that there is no reason for wonder & excitement, that it is foolish? Who taught them not to forgive or give grace? Who taught them to look away when they see the homeless or down-trodden? Who taught them that some people are more important than other people? Who is always on the cell phone, without time for them? Who taught them that they don't have time to stop and enjoy the beauty of life? Who taught them that some goals & dreams are foolish? Who?
- Yes, there is an awesome, wonderful, critically important responsibility in being a parent or someone entrusted with caring for a child. We do need to teach them responsibility, how to do certain things, how this crazy world works, etc. It strikes me however that it is equally awesome, wonderful and critically important to know when it is the time to teach and when it is the time to learn. If we are teaching from our biases, our brokenness, our pain, our hang-ups, etc. it is probably time to stop, watch, listen and learn.
- There is never a reason or excuse to violate or harm a Little Teacher mentally, physically, spiritually or socially. Never! They are truly treasures from God who are to be loved, cherished and protected at all times. By all of us.
Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, learn a lot and please cherish your family and friends.
Kev
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