Childlike Epiphany


There is wonder in the air today.  

I could feel it when I walked outside just a moment ago--a palpable sense of wonder and expectation.  

The sky was just the right color, a mixture of blue, green and orange framed by the leave-less waving branches of the trees lining my street.  The air was crisp, wintry and dry.  

For a moment I forgot all of the things I have to do today---the appointments, meetings, errands and tasks.  I  let them all go, closed my eyes and just let myself breathe in and out.  

I found myself smiling.  

Then a realization washed over me like the cool breeze that was blowing and stirring the bare branches of the trees: 

Today is not my adversary.  Today is not something to be conquered.  Today is not something to fight.  

Today simply is.  And it's filled with possibilities.  

And this thought filled me with such wonder and joy that I could hardly contain it.  I  actually laughed out loud, and had to suppress an insane desire to run out into the yard in my comfy pajamas and slippers and do some sort of strange morning dance.  

One doesn't want to frighten one's neighbors 

Then I  read this amazing quote from C.S. Lewis in my daily reading:  
When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so.  No that I am fifty, I read them openly.  When I became a man I  put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up. 
The grown up thing to do today is to begin methodically tackling all of my tasks, meetings and responsibilities with an air of efficiency and professionalism.  

The childish thing to do would be to approach every single thing I do today with a sense of wonder and optimism.  The childish thing to do would be to look around every corner, expecting a surprise.  

The childish thing to do would be to step into today filled with hope.  

There's a lot of bad news out there right now.  A lot of us are frightened, filled with dread, overcome by anger and bitterness.  We respond by putting one foot in front of the other, checking our lists and completing our tasks so we can move on to the next thing.  

This makes us feel safe somehow.  

And yet, Jesus implored his followers to become "like a child" in order to fully realize the Kingdom of God.  Maybe what he meant was exactly what I've been talking about.  Maybe what Jesus meant was that we need to start living with childish hope, expectation and wonder in order to truly see what God is up to around us.  

Maybe we should start looking around every corner for the surprising, amazing God, who comes to us right when we least expect... or when we need God the most. 

May this be true for you today and every day.  And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.  

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