Approach Life as a Child

If you have ever attended a Christian church, you probably will recognize the Bible passage where Christ encourages his followers to approach him as if they were a child. Having heard that recently, it got me thinking about how that might actually be a good way to approach all aspects of life.

Let me explain..

When we were kids, there was often a sense of excitement about everything. Getting to go to McDonald’s for dinner? That’s awesome!! Grandma stopped by for a visit? Major hugs all around! Somebody got a new puppy or kitten? We gotta go see them! I am, of course, remembering times before we start to become more worldly and, perhaps, more jaded. We live unfiltered lives when we are young partly because we do not yet know better. There is an openness and acceptance that most little kids possess that can be infectious. And it is THAT kind of mindset that I hope to foster in each of us.

I know this woman who is now in her mid-80’s. She is kind and thoughtful but grew up in a time when people did not have as many opportunities as we enjoy today. As a result, when presented with something new, she almost invariably starts to list reasons why you couldn’t or shouldn’t do it. Frankly, it used to frustrate me as she could take the joy out of anything new and exciting. Eventually, though, I found myself feeling some degree pity for her as I came to appreciate that this is always how she has seen the world.

Likewise, there have been observational studies done looking at children at different grades. When asked who wants to pursue some creative, crazy career, the youngest had the largest number of enthusiastic hands shooting up in the air, while their older selves were a lot more reserved and had far fewer willing to stick their necks out.

But imagine what kind of world we might live in if we kept that energy and creativity of our youth. What kind of inventions would we be using, or books or art we’d be enjoying? What would be the worst thing that would happen? Frankly, that we’d fail. And we’d also be that much smarter as a result. It’s what holds us back, this fear of failure, of looking the fool. But, I ask you sincerely, “so what?”

I picture some little boy or girl going up to their friend who just failed at something, putting their arm around them, and saying “it’s okay” before bringing them back to play. We adults could learn a lot from that kind of mindset… both to be supportive but also to always try.

I’ll close with a final reflection. I tend to enjoy studying history and learning about what has happened in the past. But it wasn’t until I was older that I came to appreciate history more because I started to view it as something that actually happened and, more importantly, that those who were there had no clue what the outcome was going to be. It’s easy to look back now and know that George Washington would prevail in the American Revolution, or that the Allies would win in WWII. But the people alive at those times had no way of knowing what was going to happen. Instead – and just like us – they had to do their best and hope that things would turn out okay.

Sometimes they succeeded and other times they failed. But, like that innocent and trusting child we all once were, they had faith that they could make a difference and, fortunately, they decided to act on that. Today, it’s our turn to do the same.

Know that I’m pulling for you!