Flying Like a Child

I was on Jeff & Lindsay's roof and had an urge to jump over the side and fly through Carpina.

I am writing this post, so I obviously didn't try it.

But it reminded me of when Jonathan was about 3 and he tried to fly off the back of a chair. He ended up with two black teeth as a result. He told my dad that he knew why he couldn't fly. He needed a cape.

But as I resisted the urge to fly over Carpina, I thought of the fact that my little brother wasn't hesitant to fly. He just did it. Arms out, legs straight. Perfect flying pose. There were no hands in front of the face. No cringing.

And I thought, thats what makes a kid a kid. They don't fear. They think, they make a decision, and they do it. As we get older, we add more to that process. We think, we analyze, we discuss, we make a decision, we second guess that decision, we get padding in case that decision is wrong, and then we do it, often times hesitantly with our hands in front of our face.

Now, I'm not saying that this process is wrong. As adults we have developed a process designed to keep us from getting hurt.

We are used to the potential of getting hurt in every situation. Whether it's eating or loving, it could lead to enlongated stays in the bathroom or crying in a pillow. It's good to have that padding.

But the potential of hurt disappears when it comes to the Lord. Psalm 116:6 says "The Lord protects those of childlike faith" (NLT). God is not looking to take our attempts at relationship with him and stomp on our hearts. Jesus says "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these" (Matthew 19:14).

God is love...There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. 1 John 4:14 & 18