Become as Little Children
Elliot's blue eyes blink under blonde lashes, lashes that stick straight out like his daddy's, eyes that pour into mine with such intensity. He reaches his hands out to me, an offering of imaginary "winner, winner, chicken dinner" in his palms. He "won" the race to the bathroom again, and we laugh together in childish delight as I gobble up a part of his prize. But my mind is reeling. How does he look at me so sincerely, as if nothing else in the world exists? I try to match the unwavering gaze of his blue eyes and end up feeling an utter failure. Is it even possible for me? Inevitably my mind wanders, but his stays steady, nowhere else to be but here with me. Oh, how I want to be as he is!
Here. Wherever here may be. Lost in the eyes of those I love.
Here. Wherever here may be. Lost in the eyes of those I love.
"Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
"And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:1-4)
Today, I am humbled. Humbled to realize that my two-year old, who doesn't consistently poop on the potty or eat a bowl of cereal without needing a new shirt, knows more about love than I do. Because he knows that to love is to look into someone's eyes and see nothing else. He knows that to love is to share whatever God has blessed you with, be it real or simply an imagined chicken. He knows that to love and be loved is a miracle worth savoring.
Something inside of me shifted today, those blue eyes boring into mine. I'm determined to become as a little child.
To be here. Wherever here may be. Lost in the eyes of those I love.
