Become Like a Little Child

Jake and I are reading through The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and came upon this today:

      "We have memories of long ago, when we used to be free and we loved being free, but we have forgotten what freedom really means.

      If we see a child who is two or three, perhaps four years old, we find a free human.  Why is this human free? Because this human does whatever he or she wants to do.  The human is completely wild.  Just like a flower, a tree, or an animal that has not been domesticated --- wild! And if we observe humans who are two years old, we find that most of the time these humans have a big smile on their face and they're having fun.  They are exploring the world.  They are not afraid to play. They are afraid when they are hurt, when they are hungry, when some of their needs are not met, but they don't worry about the past, don't care about the future, and only live in the present moment.

      Very young children are not afraid to express what they feel.  They are so loving that if they perceive love, they melt into love. They are not afraid to love at all.  That is the description of a normal human being.  As children we are not afraid of the future or ashamed of the past.  Our normal human tendency is to enjoy life, to play, to explore, to be happy, and to love.

      But, what has happened with the adult human? Why are we so different? Why are we not wild?"

The first thing that came to my mind is this verse from Matthew (18:3) : "And He said: "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."  The second thing that came into my mind was a video I took of Boy 3 about 8 years ago . . . this boy, he has always been free and wild and his joy knows no end.   

He's 11 now.  He still is pretty wild and free and brings me great joy. <3  Praying for myself and you that we can be like a little child.