'I've got some new socks!'

Today I went to the park. It turned out to be a very lovely day, made complete by the return of the British Summer which is always nice because our nation are happy when that happens. Whilst we were sat in the giant sandpit, a random child came up to me to tell me he had some new socks. For him, this was really exciting news. This is what I love about children. To them, everything is so exciting. I love it when kids say 'oh wow!' to absolutely everything. There's something so refreshing about it. When I was wandering through Halifax the other day, I heard a kid shouting that he was going on an adventure. I remember thinking it was probably just a trip to a shop he liked or something, but to him it was a big expedition. I love that. 


When we were in Arizona, I experienced a moment that I don't think I will forget. We went to Kitt Peak, to observe the stars and one of the guys there was called Geronimo. What an incredible name, that guy was destined for greatness. He was self taught, and hands down, one of the most passionate people I have ever met. I remember a moment where we were all stood outside with our star maps looking up at the sky when all of a sudden this burst of joy came out so loud that I physically jumped and let out a little yelp. Geronimo saw a shooting star. I can't describe his excitement, at a site he must see most days of his life. But there was something so special about that.


The Bible talks about having Child Like Faith. I thought these little anecdotes painted a nice little picture of that. The more we learn about the world, the more we see evil everywhere. We see mindless killings, slavery, trafficking, abuse, the list goes on. The more we see of this, the less faith we have in the world and the more cynical we become. Especially with British humour - if you were as excited as Geronimo about everything in life - jokes would be circulated about you via text message. People would not want to sit next to you on a train or bus and people would avoid you at lunch time. Sadly, we are just too polite for all this enthusiasm nonsense. 




But should we be? 


As Christians, we carry this incredible hope that one day we will be welcomed into the arms of a God who knew every hair on our heads as he formed us before we were born. A God who watched over every decision we ever made and who carved out a path for us that would offer us this hope, and a bright future. He has offered us unconditional love and unmerited Grace. He offers forgiveness and freedom from fear. It doesn't stop at me having all that good stuff and keeping it to myself. It is my job to share that with people that I meet - mercy, forgiveness, love, grace, patience, kindess, joy, hope. How can we do that if we have lost the amazement in the small things that God does? When was your last 'oh wow!' moment? 


I can tell you, I had a few today.

This was one of them

"Jesus called a little child to him and stood the child before his followers. Then he said, "I tell you the truth, you must change and become like little children. Otherwise, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. The greatest person in the kingdom of heaven is the one who makes himself humble like this child." Matthew 18:2-4

Children trust, children explore, adventure and are excited by pretty much anything (even socks). They don't have this politeness problem, they tell it like it is without holding back. They are exciting to be around and they learn new things everyday. Are we like this? Do we have regular moments where we stand back in amazement about something we see? Do we appreciate small things as well as big things? I hope we can all learn to be better adventurers on this exciting journey called life. 

Much love xxx