Many years ago, when my brother used to play little league baseball, my mother and I met a little girl while watching one of his games. She had that no-filter personality many children have at age six; the personality where they ask too many questions and do not realize how funny it is. She came up to my mother with two dandelion puffs and told her to make a wish. After my mother blew out the dandelion, the little girl asked what she had wished for. My mother said she wished that my older sister would get into the college of her choice, something that was very nerve-wrecking for her at the time. When she asked the child the same question, the girl simply responded, with excitement in her eyes, "I wished for cake."
That was the first time I realized I was no longer a child. I realized that my biggest wish was no longer something as simple and sweet as a piece of cake. My responsibilities now came first. I wondered when I had stopped being a child. Was it when my parents decided that I was too big to be carried? Was it when I put my toys away for the last time, and I stopped playing games?
I concluded that I stopped being a child when I lost my innocence. I stopped being a child when I learned that adults are not perfect, and my parents make mistakes too. I lost my childhood when my heart was broken by a boy for the first time; and when I found out that high school is nothing like High School Musical. I stopped being a child when money suddenly became more important to me, and I realized that I would probably be in debt my entire life. I lost my childhood at 3am, doing homework for a meaningless class that I was required to take, so that I can get a degree, a job, and a life.
Maybe you agree with that conclusion. Maybe you too have felt robbed of your adolescence, as soon as societal norms kicked down your dollhouse and told you to fill out a college application instead. And while, some of those things probably contributed to my loss of childhood, I also believe that I am wrong.
There is a secret to staying a child, and it's called Faith. The lord instructs us to have childlike faith. In Matthew 8:12, Jesus says that we must "become as little children" in order to enter the kingdom of God. But how do we do that in a world that forces us to become adults?
God is not telling us to stop caring about our responsibilities or the important problems. He does not want us to quit working hard and go back to playing with toys. Our misconception is that we think being a child means being naïve. But I would argue that children are some of the most intelligent individuals, as they are always honest, vulnerable, and inquisitive.
We need to be honest with others, with ourselves, and with Christ. Just as that little girl did not hesitate to give my mother a dandelion, or share her wish, we should not hesitate to be honest. We should not be afraid to speak truth. God calls us to serve others and to share His word. In doing that, we should be a people that simply seeks to know and spread what is honest and truthful.
Sometimes, everything we have been through in life, and all the people who have hurt us, well, make us want to close ourselves off from the world. But children are not afraid to get hurt. They jump off swings and skin their knees. They tie strings around their loose teeth and yank them out. And they cry too, but it is okay, because they trust the people around them to take care of them. We need to be vulnerable, and brave, like that. Yes, as an adult, you learn that grown-ups are far from perfect and do not have it all together. Yet, forgiving them is what keeps you a child, because a child is not afraid to be vulnerable. Children understand that they need someone to help them. They depend on parents to take care of them. This does not mean that we should rely on our parents our whole lives, but we need to be humble enough to realize that we cannot do everything alone. We need community, and we need Christ.
I hope that this encourages you to take comfort in that fact that you are not done growing. You will always be a child of God and that innocence still resides in a part of you. Being a child is not about playing games. It is about being truthful, open, and taking risks. With God holding your hand along the way, maybe it is as simple and sweet as cake after all.
Enjoy this slideshow of all the Sunshine and Surrender members.
