No, not the frog…I don’t want to be like the FROG!!

Stick with me here…

My five year old child, in her sweet, 5 year old voice, out of seemingly nowhere observes,

“God made him. God made him beautiful.”

She had just caught a toad…it’s a TOAD, people.  What was she talking about? Beautiful? A FROG…I mean, TOAD? She thinks a toad beautiful?

Completely confused, I asked, “you think the frog is beautiful?”

“Yes! It’s a toad.  It is beautiful.  Look at all his spots and his design.”

So, I looked…she was right.

Just like that…again, from my child, I was stopped and reminded of another “life lesson.” I need to slow down and look. I mean really look. I’m missing out. TRULY missing out. The toad’s design was beautiful, amazing, majestic, divine…a small piece of the canvas of God. And I missed it…or ALMOST missed it. If it had not been for my young daughter. She didn’t miss it. No! She and her sisters SEE it all.

Kids see and appreciate way more beauty in the world than we do. I wish I could slow down long enough to see the world through the eyes of a child…at least once a day…I think slowing down just once a day could help…a lot.

I want to live every day to its fullest and not worry about yesterday or tomorrow.

I want to place less value on sleep and not waste one moment of each blessed day that I am given.

I want to work hard, but not be afraid to break free and have a little fun.

I want to save a little every chance I get and not sweat life’s expenses.

I want to live life with music in my heart and a sense of adventure in every step I take.

I want to keep searching for new and exciting things to learn.

I want to be happy with the face that smiles at me in the mirror.

I want to appreciate the generosity of others and give with all my heart to help when I see a need.

These words (and a few more, I didn’t type them all) came to me over the course a few days. It was after a long conversation on the phone with a dear friend that the words came to me.  I started jotting them down as they flowed…

She had been diagnosed with the dreaded C-word…cancer. We lived far apart and had not seen each other in a while. You know how life seems to get in the way? Well, it had for us. We talked, we smiled, laughed, wondered, cried…

After I hung up the phone, I sat and watched my small child playing. She had no idea. She didn’t know what we had talked about. She didn’t know our fears…

She had No. Idea.

I want to be like her again, I thought…and so the words just started flowing, through my brain and onto paper.  Even though it took me six years to complete that book and finally hit the button to indicate that I approved it for publication, I still feel like it’s not complete. But…I’m not complete. God is never finished with ME.  He is continuing to reveal new things to me every. single. day.

Most of my lessons come to me through my kids…

Matthew 18:2-6New International Version (NIV)

2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Even seeing the beauty of frogs…I mean TOADS!!