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A hallmark of childhood and childlikeness is the ability to believe in what you cannot see, cannot explain, to relish the gift of Mystery.
As a child I was told that thunder is the Voice of God. I loved to hear that Voice. Then, I lost that belief, even as I lost the innocence of childhood and childlikeness. Now, I understand thunder is the Voice of God, but in a different way. I am learning to live a second childhood, one graced with the intervening years. I can hear the bird song, the breeze, the voice of a friend, the cry of a little infant, the weeping of a grieving person, the hum when in silence … and so much more as that same Voice.
Possibly, this ability to engage imagination, what Christian theologians have seen as one of the innate capacities of the person in the Image of Divinity, is implied by Jesus...
Jesus' close followers came and asked him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus called a child over and had the child stand near him. Then, he said, "I assure you, if you don't return and become like a child, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
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In "Finding Neverland," Little Peter had been deeply changed by the death of his father. With the loss of his dad, he had lost his childhood. His eyes no longer looked like the eyes of a child, and his eyes no longer saw the Beauty and Bliss that children are to see. The wound of the loss cut him deeply.
Likewise, we as adults get wounded, and scars, so to speak, can build up over our eyes ~ the eyes of the heart. We miss seeing the gift laid before us. We may even pray for what is already given, we may hope for what already is being offered, and time and time again, as though Life is withholding from us, when Life only wants to give, and gives.
Yes... “Heaven” is all around. “Angels” are everywhere. “Beauty” shines through every creature. “Love” announces its longing for us. “Mystery” sparkles in the night sky. “Joy” dances in the wind. “Peace” is a watery drop on a green leaf after a spring shower. “God” looks out the eyes of your love or beloved one, or your child, or your friend, or that stranger who smiles at you as you walk through the store. Do you see it? Are you childlike enough to believe it?
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