Kommon Nonsense

This morning I listened to a sermon by Matt Chandler who is the pastor at The Village church in Texas. He was speaking on the difference between being childlike verses being childish. In the sermon he made a statement regarding his kids, that it is he and his wife's responsibility to "encourage, foster, and nourish a childlike wonder and awe of Christ in their children and to discipline out the childish things." He goes on to explain the difference between childish things and childlike things. As I prepare to be a new dad I find these words to be some of the most challenging and yet the most comforting. For me it puts into perspective healthy discipline. I do not want to discipline my kids for being childlike.

It also stirs up in me a sort of internal comfort with who I am right now. See many times I take a step back and wonder to myself, "Anthony you are 30 years old, why are you dressing up in 80s clothes and going bowling with a bunch of college students? Why are you dressing up in the Chick-fil-A cow suit and doing a lip sync competition? Should 30 year old men be doing this sort of thing? Anthony you are about to have a kid, it's time to grow up." After hearing some of the words in the sermon I felt this peace come over my spirit as if to say, "Anthony, I never want you to stop being childlike, being full of joyful life, and enjoying the wonder and awe of who I am. This is who I have created you to be...a quirky, silly, crazy, spontaneous, introvert, who loves to hang out with people."

May we always be childlike in life and in faith!