Lost Childhood

I work at a physiotherapy clinic, while at work today a 6 year old girl came in with her grandma, I was bored, so naturally I got one of our small exercise balls out so that I could play pass with the little girl, any chance I get to play anything even resembling a sport, I will take it. So the little girl and I played pass, it was fun, and she was very entertaining to listen to, as most children are. She started chit chatting with me, telling me about things that were fun, like how she dressed up a vacuum, danced it around, and it had so much fun with it. She was sad because they had to get a new vacuum and it wasn’t as fun as the old one. She then proceeded to show me her entire dance routine, counts and all, with no limitations, no hesitation, just full of life, and full of movement.

So what happens to us? What stops us from being that little girl that is so carefree, so full of life, so full of love? How does life take us from being so carefree to so full of pain? Sometimes it is hard for me, I believe God is my protector, so how, and why did he let me suffer so much pain and hurt at the hands of others? He is trying to teach me to be that carefree little girl again, that may be the hardest task I have ever had to face. Everything in the world tells me that being that carefree girl is not reality, the world only accepts giving me pain and suffering each day that I wake. It seems as we age, we go from complete life and innocence, to lifeless souls facing reality.

I can not accept that God wants us to be lifeless just because we have faced many harsh realities, I really believe that He wants to give us life, He says through Jesus in John 10:10 ESV “…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” So after all the hurt, all the harsh realities how do we find what God is trying to teach us? I can only through faith, trust, that this “New Journey” God has put me on is going to be how I will find life again.

I think a lot about those children around the world who lost their childhood long before the age of 6, I have met some, I still dream about them, I long to be able to give those children the joy and innocence they deserve.

God just struck me with powerful words as I wrote that last line “I long to be able to give those children the joy and innocence they deserve”. Those must be the very words that God is speaking to us.

May we learn, just as children, to love freely, live innocently, give openly and let God take control of our life.

Amen