Being God’s Child; Keeping the Wonder

Ah, these hot and lazy summer days are slipping by. The honeybees hum as they work the clover, and the box turtle stops for a visit. Have you ever seen a black snake rise in a warm field and look at you as if to say, “hello friend?” The forest has its own fragrance, and symphony. These are only memories for many of us. They have not gone away, but the child in us grew up too fast.

Our yesterdays have followed the path of the sunsets, but God has given us today. Yes, there are tares in the field; but it is still good. We choose which we will cultivate, either weeds or fruit. Some days can be cloudy, but there has never been a sunless day since creation. The Bright and Morning Star has never failed to dispel the darkness of a long night; and we still believe that joy comes in the morning. “Great is thy faithfulness, O God our Father.”

I saw a compassionate smile put a twinkle in someone’s tear. That simple act of caring lifted a weight off a soul that a thousand angry people with all their strength combined could not lift. “O God,” I prayed, “When will we ever learn that the Kingdom of God is here?” And he answered: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)

Sometimes the child in us is lost in our busy life, and then, we lose the wonder. I want it back, don’t you? “I see skies of blue and clouds of white; the bright blessed day, the dark sacred night; and I think to myself what a wonderful world.”