This past week while on vacation I took the kids to the pool and sat beneath the shade of a palm tree to watch them play. My attention was drawn to their interactions with the other children in the pool and how quickly they all became fast friends. On this particular day we were at the pool for about five hours and saw many children come and go. What was so beautiful to observe was the physical intimacy and instant commeratory they all shared.

I was mesmerized by their lack of boundaries and how sincerely open and trusting they were with one another. The understood concept amongst them seemed to be, “We’re kids so we play together.” I wondered why as adults we don’t see life the same, “We’re adults and so we play together.”

I noticed how my daughter was holding hands with the little girls she had met. They were pulling her around the pool in her float. They were laughing and giggling and telling each other pretty much anything and everything about themselves. They shared what they liked and what they didn’t like and no one posed any judgments. They all seemed in awe and wonder genuinely enjoying the opportunity to indulge in their curiosity of one another.

My boys were equally having the time of their lives wresting, throwing the football, and playing water gun wars with the other boys in the pool. I was amazed by how they could shoot water at someone they just met. They were climbing on floats with the other kids, totally invading each other’s personal space, and not giving a care in the world for any semblance of social etiquette.

I wondered. How often do we touch another adult? When was the last time I held a stranger’s hand, laughed with them, or truly interacted and “played” with someone I didn’t know. What was so baffling to me as I watched the children play is that there was no discrimination whatsoever. If you wanted to play, you were welcome to play. It didn’t matter if you were red, yellow, black or white. It didn’t matter if you were overweight or super skinny. It didn’t matter if you were dressed rich or poor. The kids didn’t ask each other where they were from, what they did for a living, or to what socio economic status they belonged.  It didn’t matter if they were a Christian or of a different religious faith. Quite frankly, they didn’t care. All the children were treated as if they belonged, as if they were desired, and all were treated as if they brought something special to the experience they were all having. The children seemed genuinely grateful to have one another. They didn’t want to miss a moment of play time because they didn’t know exactly how long their time together would last. They knew they only had a certain amount of time before a parent would call for them and tell them it was time to go. As a result, they played hard and opened their hearts to bond as quickly as possible. When it was time for one of them to leave, the girls would hug tightly knowing they would probably never see one another again. They boys would hand shake or high five and say something cool and macho like, “Hey man, hope to see you around again sometime.”

I’m writing this particular blog to ask one simple question, “When did we stop behaving like children and what crazy adult told us we shouldn’t?” Jesus Christ must have really been on to something when he said, “Unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3) I am of the notion as was Jesus that the kingdom of heaven is found within, that it is in our midst. According to the Christ, this blissful state of being is linked to our ability to come like a child. These moments of watching children interact with one another helps me understand more and more why that statement is so undeniably true.

As I left the pool on that beautiful afternoon, the prayer radiating from my heart for both myself and our world was simple. May we come to see the world through the eyes of a child with the purity and innocence that dwells in their hearts. May we approach life with the hope and faith of a child to believe for impossible things. May we love with the heart of a child carrying within us their ability to show affection and kindness without bias towards all. Give us the willingness of a child to forgive and forget. Supply us with the ability to give like a child, to give as they do, with their smiles, with their touch, with their laughter, and with the potent doses of compassion they carry within their hearts.

Watching my children is teaching me lessons long forgotten. Sometimes it’s best to let the walls fall down, the conditioned prejudices fade, and the fears of a stranger disintegrate. An inability to come like a child may be preventing us from the best play date of our entire lives.

Play hard and play well. You don’t know how much time you will have left before your Parent calls and tells you it’s time to go home.

 “and a little child shall lead them.” Isaiah 11:6

 ~ Misti Rains Howell