exuberance

It's been a busy weekend of parties in celebration of the kid's 6th birthday this coming Tuesday. Saturday we had family and friends-who-are-family over for a luncheon celebration; yesterday we hosted a passel of small children for an afternoon of crown construction, "freeze dancing," game playing, cupcake eating, present sharing and backyard screaming (apologies to the neighbors). They had a great time, and I was reminded of the privileged position in which Jesus places children. The kiddos' exuberance was unforced and heartfelt. They danced with abandon; they colored and placed stickers with enthusiastic concentration. They sang without self-consciousness, and raced around the backyard without reservation.

I've never been much of a screamer, but I'm trying to absorb the lesson these kids taught me. Each of us has been called to live a life of exuberance--to live out a childlike faith. We may be called to the accountability of adulthood in passages like 1 Corinthians 13, but we also are called to live lives of fullness. I suspect this is what Jesus is getting at when he refers to the faith of children. Five- and six-year-olds are good at fullness. I hope I can emulate their example!