Early

It’s early and as I sit at my desk with the window open overlooking our community pond the sun is shining, and yet as I take a moment to perhaps daydream, I start to see more and more of those little white puffy clouds (like sheep) begin to proceed across that great blue backdrop we call sky.

It’s now that I hear the lawn mower service, their distraction like clockwork every Tuesday morning, the steady hum or buzz of their equipment encroaching on my serenity, only to find another distraction as I hear the voice of my neighbor Christy, down on the lawn below.  Christy, a single mom, like myself, along with her five year old son Cameron as they play with their dog.  I then hear Cameron ring my doorbell (for fun) and then, I hear Christy scold him.  Aw, to be young again.  Nothing better to do but chase your dog and ring the neighbor’s doorbells, because surely they must be sleeping (especially at 8:30 in the morning when they’re on vacation;). If I had a dog, which someday I hope life and Time will once  again afford me  (for now, I’ll have to settle for my crazy parakeet) I think it might be fun to chase him or her, though ringing doorbells of my unsuspecting neighbors? at my age,  probably not such a good idea (though still, the idea is tempting).

But… up early this morning I got to thinking about how at the beginning of our lives (and I think seeing and hearing Cameron out playing on the lawn below reinforced this) life is so much more carefree and easy. Our whole lives spread out before us and filled with possibility. And then? We have to grow up, don’t we? and perhaps at times life doesn’t always turn out to be the picnic in the park we thought it’d be.  Life and all it’s demands has a way of pressing in. Whether it’s family, work, finances, something. It’s always something. And for me I think most of all, it’s Time.  Time, that pesky culprit.  If only we had the ability to stop it. But Time will halt for no one.  Better yet, to grab some rope and attempt to lasso it, tame it, so that instead of Time getting a handle on us we can at least try, try, to get a handle on it.

So… why am writing all of this?  Honestly, I just felt the need to write something, hoping that practice will make perfect, right? But tomorrow, tomorrow I’m turning thirty-nine (and how this happened I have no idea. Again, I think Time had something to do with it) but at least I’ll be spending it at Disney World so maybe, just maybe, for a day, I’ll get to feel like a kid again.  Honestly though, most of the time (inside) I already do anyway.  I mean, didn’t Jesus say something to the affect of, “unless you all become as little children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven?”  I could google it, but I’m pretty sure He did.

Yes, to be like Cameron, or rather, to have the mindset of a child. And what is that?  Trusting, believing, carefree, simplicity.  Faith.  How many of us as adults really live like that?  God says… but do we believe Him?  For a child it is so, so easy.  God says… but oh, how many of us worry.  God says… but oh, how we don’t want to let go of anything.  God says… what?  How many things? And yet, how much easier life might be if we did and really could live like that, “with the mindset of a child,” trusting, believing, and God as our Heavenly Father who always, always is looking out for us.  Who always, always has our best interest at heart.  Who always, always loves us and sees us just like that, perhaps as we truly are;  His little children.  At least I like to think that’s how God sees us and from what I’ve read in His Word I think that’s a pretty good assessment. In His eyes we can chase puppies, ring doorbells and who knows what else, and does not God expect it? Maybe like the loving parent, He can look past all our imperfections, and sees only the cuteness, the fondness, that feeling where love wells up in your heart and where it came from? Well, only God can answer that question and yes, even sometimes He has to discipline us, but God as loving Father and us as His children…  it’s a good thing to dwell on, is it not?

Time.  It makes me think of a favorite line from a maybe not so favorite movie of mine, but I loved the line anyway and it’s always stuck with me.  “Pretend we’re starting out in life, instead of ending up.”  And what do I take from that?  That no matter what or where you’re at in life, whether it’s something you always wanted to do, become, a relationship you’ve been wanting to mend or, even your relationship with God, no matter what it is…  “it’s never too late to be early.”  God bless!