A Child's World
Once upon a time, my grandson and I built the world out of wooden
blocks, Legos, and green Monopoly houses. We spread out across the floor with domino roads connecting cities and
nations.
Each place was populated with little people bearing identical smiles.
Black, brown, and yellow plastic faces represented the world’s many races.
We
made certain everyone had everything they needed—from playgrounds, to ice-cream stores, and a Chuck E. Cheese in every locale. Those plastic smiles were real in this make-believe
land.
I stood and surveyed our miniature world and decided
something else was needed. I brought over some tall books to give boundaries between
the countries. My young grandson didn’t like that idea. He said it would be
easier for everyone to get together if we didn’t have anything in the way. How
true.
Too bad we lose a child’s innocent perspective amid worldly
troubles that make those boundaries all too necessary.
This isn’t the
first time a child taught me a lesson. Children aren’t yet encumbered with all
the refuge of a broken world. Simply put, children can see life more as it
should be.
Surveying our perfect world of ice-cream stores and
playgrounds, I knew my grandson would soon learn about life and all of its realities. But for now, I sat back down and realized that there were some things I could learn from him.
And Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Luke 10:21