Like a Child

She runs on the sand, pigtails flying, chasing gulls and the waves wash away the footprints that had marked the trail of her adventure.  Inquisitive, she asks where they have gone to and I tell her the they have been washed away.   She smiles and turns to make more footprints that will quickly wash away. 

How quickly the time passes from little girl, to young woman, to mother; but still always "Daddy's girl".  The years now seem to be a blur as I watch her with little ones of her own answering those questions that never quite seem to end.  One answer just leads to another question.  The unending cycle of a child's perspective.

Oh, but to continue to be that inquisitive.  To be an open mind to the world once again without the preconceived notions of the way things are or what they should be.  To see the world through the eyes of a child without my childish ways is what I seek.  To see others without judgment. To accept life just as it is without trying to change it or cursing for what is.  To be able to cry when your hurt and not feel stupid or weak.  To be able to laugh even when nothing is funny. To see each new day as an adventure.

John McAndrew's song "Like a Child" keeps me yearning for the simple pleasures that a child experiences as they learn and grow.  To see life in our world as never before.  New and exciting with hope and trust in a Father that is there to pick us up when we fall, comfort us when we are hurt and tell us we can be anything we want to be; and then like the sea he washes away the footprints of our past, forgives us in grace.

Carpe diem!  Seize the day and make it one of wonder and praise for a Father that never leaves us.  Like a child, we keep on learning.