Kids

As one of a handful of parents on the trip I have a different lens through which to explore Iceland than some others. Yesterday, Sunday, I had three experiences with kids that were examples of God's amazing and humbling power. The first was when we attended Sunday school in the church of one of our hosts. It was truly wonderful to see that despite the language difference, the conversations were clear to me. See the children were mostly young, 1-5. Three of my four fall under that range, so seeing Icelandic parents worry and fret and be embarrassed about what was playful kid behavior and to them was "why are they running around in church??", was reassuring to me. It was reassuring because on some levels our culture and our language really do not matter. Children are a gift from God and parents want to raise children that are wonderful servants of God and being that parent is sometimes difficult.

Later in the day we attended our first swimming hall and I must say that it is no wonder why Icelanders are rated among the happiest people on earth. What a wonderful way to relax and have fun. And here again there were kids and it could have been a summer swimming pool or YMCA in the US. Parents were worried about kids slipping, kids weren't getting dressed fast enough, and the kids pool was full of life and energy like no other. It was my second example with children in how through play, God teaches us. Most people of course care about the welfare of children but parents have the added benefit experiencing the unique creativeness in finding mischief that is a 4 year old. Seeing one little boy exploring the boundaries with his dad was fun as I'm sure it was for both of them. I could tell without knowing the words that both dad and son grew in trust and love because of the relationship that was being stretched and grown through play at the pool. That is not that different from how God "plays" with us. It again reminded that through relationship with our Father, constantly pushing, we grow as people.

My final adventure with kids yesterday was at a different host family's home for dinner. We arrived shortly before the tremendous meal was ready. During that time I and my other travel mates got to play with their two kids. I was amused by the little boy that played peek-a-boo with me. How easily kids can play without barriers or reservation. God created us to be creatures that interact and are in relationships and yesterday I saw how universal it truly is in children. How great would it be if we maintained that joy of childhood?

Good and gracious God, I thank You for all the joy and blessings in this world that only come from Your hand. I especially thank You for our children and the pure joy that they exhibit. I pray that we can always hold on to that feeling of relational trust, rooted in You God, in all that we do in service for You. In Your Son's name I pray, Amen.