Childlike Wonder

About once a week, we do movie night with the kids. Obviously, these are family-friendly and typically children’s movies. It’s just nice to get all of us on the couch together and cuddle with the kids while they’re still willing to cuddle with ol’ Mom and Dad. A few weeks back, we watched Mary Poppins with the kids, and they loved it. Honestly, what small child doesn’t love Mary Poppins? Their imaginations ran wild throughout the movie, and they were glued to the screen. This week, my wife, Rhea, chose The Return of Mary Poppins. Truthfully, it’s nowhere near as good as the original, but it’s a cute movie for kids and those who love family-friendly musicals. I also have to admit that I fell asleep for a significant portion of the movie. Regardless of my thoughts on the movie, there was an interaction that happened toward the end of the movie that caught my attention.

Michael Banks, the father in the movie (and the little boy from the original), was chatting with a woman who was selling balloons. As he reached to grab a balloon, he said, “I haven’t held a balloon since I was a child.” The balloon lady responded with, “Then you’ve forgotten what it’s like.” “To hold a balloon?” Michael asked. She responds with, “To be a child.” This was such an insightful line, but probably not the way that Disney intended. 

One of my favorite things about children is the awe in their faces when they see something they deem larger than life. Seeing a horse for the first time. Going to Disney and meeting Mickey Mouse. Getting to see the fire department and stepping onto a fire truck. Kids remind us of what it means to be in awe of something. I have to admit, I don’t experience awe enough in my life. Experience can sometimes numb us to recognition of the incredible. 

Hanson’s point in the Red River Gorge has my favorite view in that entire area, and there are a lot of amazing views. However, I don’t find myself as in awe of it as I was the first time I saw it. I remember being completely enamored with what I was seeing as I came out of the trees to get a 360-degree view of the gorge. I almost lost my breath from the beauty. I guess that’s why they call it “breathtaking.” Today, I’ve been there around 50 times, and I still call it my happy place when I need to sneak off for an overnight backpacking trip, but it just doesn’t get me the same way as it did when I first saw it. 

How many of us find ourselves that way with God? It’s not that we don’t love Him, but we’ve become “used to” Him. Our prayers sometimes feel like we’re just talking to the sky. We read scripture, but we do so more out of duty than out of a longing for revelation and knowledge of our Savior. I think it’s safe to say that we all have those moments. Familiarity can sometimes breed apathy, and this is something that Satan loves. He loves when we lose our sense of awe and wonder toward God. That’s why Jesus tells His disciples in the book of Matthew…

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:3–4

It’s so easy for us as adults to let the busyness of our lives and our familiarity with God become a high-level indifference at times. Jesus is reminding us here that we need to keep that awe and child-like trust in Christ. My kids trust me because I’m their father. When I tell them something is safe, they will listen and go with me. When they aren’t sure about something, they know they can come to me to find answers. In many ways, for our children, we are the superheroes in their lives. We come to the rescue when things get out of hand. When they find themselves scared, we are their refuge. This is what God wants from us. Unfettered trust and reliance.

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
Mark 10:13–15

Again, we see where Jesus tells His disciples that we need to receive the Kingdom like a child. I bought my son his first .22 rifle yesterday for his birthday later this month. I had him go with me to pick it up. When the lady behind the counter picked the gun up to show it to me, I let Jack know that it was his. His excitement was incredible. His mouth just opened up as wide as it could, and it looked like his eyes would pop out of his head. My son is never speechless, but he was there. Is that how we see the gift of eternal life? Are we speechless? Are our minds blown? 

When we open up the book of Revelation, we see what Heaven will be like. We realize just how amazing it will be to be in the literal presence of God Himself. 


Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
Revelation 5:11–13

In the words of the late Rich Mullins, “Our God is an awesome God!” We are only seeing a mere glimpse of His greatness while here on earth. I encourage you to take a moment today, step back, and really look at how amazing He is. Allow yourself the chance to be a child and feel the awe of an almighty God Who is worthy of everything. Remember what it’s like to feel overwhelmed at just the thought of His greatness. This is the God we serve. This is the God we love. This is the God Who reminds us of what it means “to be a child.”