Camping in The Backyard

(Mark 10:13-14)  And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them. But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

I have read this scripture many times over the years and each time I read it I seem to discover another layer. As a result of that discovery, I started praying, “Lord, teach me how to deep-sea dive into this verse, rather than just spiritually skiing over it.  I want to find that hidden revelation that You put there for those who are hungry enough to diligently seek it out.”

As I began to meditate on one of the possible layers of this verse, I suddenly realized that the Lord was not only talking about the innocence of the child but also about their other attributes such as truthfulness and vivid imagination. Even though there are exceptions to this rule, a child typically sees the good and beauty in things rather than the bad and the ugly.

It is not without saying that the revelation that I discovered in this verse is as simple as the verse itself. A child not only sees the very best in things but he also lives a forgiving lifestyle. Perhaps one of the lessons that Jesus was trying to teach us … is that a child is as much of an example to an adult as an adult is an example to a child.

Looking at the issues of life through the eyes of an innocent child could even help adults change their focus from the impossible to the possible. A child’s answer to some things in life could even be as simple as going camping in the backyard. As innocent as that seems it could actually be their way of activating their faith-filled antidote for the problems of today.

My niece’s neighbor has two little girls who decided to go camping in their backyard last night. They gathered their blankets and pillows and a lantern and their sandwiches and above all, they turned up their vivid imagination to the highest possible decimal. In this camping expedition, the stars were never brighter, the problems were never fewer and they have never felt safer than they did last night as they were joined by their mom and dad on their imaginary dream trip … to who knows where.

Somehow the troubles of the world looked a bit different as this little family huddled together under the stars in the dreamland of two little girls’ imaginations. The backyard may not be the answer to all of our problems but looking through the innocent eyes of a child will certainly help.

Jesus said in Matthew 21:16  “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?”

Is it possible that this is the revelation that the Lord wanted me to seek out? Praising the Lord in spite of the issues of life. I wonder.

Father:

Teach us how to trust more like a little child. Open our understanding to the deeper layers of revelation in this simple verse and help us to practice spiritually camping in the backyard so we can see things a little clearer.

Amen