I was sitting on a train and watched a young family interacting on the journey.  A young mother and father and their infant daughter were going on a trip.  The little child was strapped in a stroller and clearly was in the beginning phases of learning language.  She called for a “nana” which I interpreted was a banana. The mother had to deny her daughter the fruit as the train has a strict no eating policy on board.  After a little cry the girl started to sing, “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.” I recognized the song even though the words were indistinct and the tune was barely perceptible.  I closed my eyes and imagined this mother holding her daughter and singing this song while pointing to all the stars in the sky above.  Little children are in a world of wonder and discovery. Little children readily trust in a Heavenly Father. But many children sadly have God taught out of them by parents who have lost their own childlike wonder.

Today’s Christian mindfulness skill – is about rediscovering childlike wonder.

Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” Luke 18:15-17

I can relate to the disciples in this verse from the gospel of Luke.  They were aware of the many people who wanted an audience with Jesus. They were sure that Jesus had more important work to do such as healing the sick and teaching more about God’s kingdom.  So when some little children pushed through the crowd to come near the seated Jesus- they took action.  “Go back to your parents, little children. Can’t you see Jesus is tired? Jesus needs to rest before he does more healing and teaching.”

I can see myself being like the disciples to send the children away.  But Jesus tells the disciples to let the children come. Then Jesus blesses the children.  I think Jesus recognized the childlike wonder in children when he said that the Kingdom of God belongs to children and that to enter it you had to become like a child.  I  needed to hear these words- life had robbed me of childlike wonder and I had become too serious about all the adult responsibilities of life.

There was another time when Jesus defended the children. It was when Jesus came on a donkey riding triumphant into Jerusalem just a few days before the Passover.  The crowds were cheering and waving palm fronds.  Jesus made his way to the temple and there he did something which seemed quite angry and spirited. He chased away all the people selling animals, and changing money in the temple courts, then he started to heal the blind and the lame again. Into this picture, some children were still cheering for Jesus – Hosanna son of David they cried.  But the chief priests and scribes were indignant and asked Jesus to tell them to be quiet.  Jesus defended the children as giving “perfect praise.”  Matthew 21:12-16

Have you come to a place of the drudgery of life–work- paying bills- laundry – shopping-cooking- cleaning- taking care of family and pets- and in the middle of this busy life, childlike wonder seems a distant dream.  One day while in a sad moment, I remember hearing God speak to me about switching childlike wonder back on.  I tried to remember when it had been switched off.

I remember the childlike wonder of exploring new places.  We moved a lot in my childhood so it was a frequent occurrence- exploring a new neighbourhood.  I remember the childlike wonder of discovering guppies in a local pond and spending hours trying to catch a few to populate a pickle jar aquarium. I remember all the tree houses my brothers and I tried to make- some failed spectacularly – others were amazing but twinged with the adrenaline of being quite high up and somewhat dangerously closer to power lines. We spent days on each new tree house only coming in when called for dinner.

I remember the childlike wonder of looking up into space through my brother’s telescope which he had bought for a few dollars.  Seeing the moon and its craters and then finding Saturn and seeing all the rings, just like in the books. We could look up for hours and find amazing things which reinforced the sense of wonder.  God made us to wonder at the mysteries of life.  Some things are not answered in the bible.  Why this moment and this time that God became real to me?  Why not someone else – they heard the same things but turned away?   Why did God bless me with seeing something that others didn’t see? I really don’t have an answer. I am not any different to other people. Yet I am grateful to hearing God and seeing His presence in the everyday. Suddenly I am in a daily treasure hunt for the next thing that God is showing me. God really has  awakened wonder.  Each day God reveals a bit more of Himself and His amazing creation to me.

Can I encourage you to start being curious about the incidents of life where there isn’t a ready explanation. Look beyond the things which seem to be mundane and ask God to show Himself to you. Have an expectancy of God showing up. Could God be showing you something even in the chores of life? Childlike wonder starts with the thought that God is speaking all of the time- through words, through people, through incidents and even through nature.  Start seeing the everyday miracles which God gives us and then share them with your children or write them down to remember. Then really remember them- pass them on and see if you can awaken childlike wonder in the people in your life.

This week I asked my brother to bring his telescope to the youth group.  It was the same telescope that we looked through as teenagers.  We introduced the youth group to some of the same wonder we had so many years ago.

Psalm 78

Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,

3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.

4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.

5 He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children,

6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,

7     so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

May we never lose our wonder..

I don’t know why that phrase kept coming to my mind a couple of months ago.  I had listened to a teaching series by Graham Cooke on Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit and it was a subheading for one of the teachings. I  had thought the Olympic Games are not far away so maybe it had something to do with that. I had always thought of the Olympic Games as great games- athletics and sport which brings people together with a celebration of connection and physical stamina and endurance but also of national pride.  But it wasn’t the Olympic Games which kept coming to my mind.  I kept thinking that the Holy Spirit wants to play with us, and these are the Great Games of the Spirit.

Each one of us has a spirit inside of us- that gets moved to tears at times or bursts into action with causes we believe in. Our spirit lives forever- and according to my Bible my spirit is more tangible than the physical world which is passing away. 1 Cor 7:31 …for the world in its present form is passing away. And yet there is something eternal about connecting with the Holy Spirit and living in a realm of the spirit.

What are the Games of the Holy Spirit?  I started pondering this phrase which is not in my bible. I recalled that when my children were little and learning a new skill if I made it into a game they picked it up quickly.  Potty training was like this.  I had a little red potty for my children to sit in and it had a little white plastic tray which attached to the front so that my child was unable to get off the potty easily. On the tray I would put a few interesting toys- puzzles or even play dough to keep my child sitting down.  Potty training began as a game. Later when they were in first grade the school teacher had a game for learning to read. It was called Jolly Phonics. Each night we played the game which included songs and actions. It was not a chore but a pleasure to do this game with my children. After they learnt to read they didn’t need to play the game anymore, but when their younger siblings were in grade one the same game became a family event as the older child recalled the songs and actions.

The Holy Spirit is like this in teaching us new skills.  He too can make it into a game. I remember one day while having a shower hearing His voice. It was joyful and playful, “Come outside I want to show you something.”  At first I was intrigued.  I clearly heard something in my spirit but it wasn’t an audible voice.  I had to get dry and then dressed but all the time I was getting excited. The Holy Spirit – wants to show me something. What could it be? So I walked outside with my eyes open to something that might be a little treasure from God.  At first I saw a bunch of cherry tomatoes which were bright red on a plant that had grown from seeds that I hadn’t cultivated.  At a distance they looked red and ripe but when I got closer I could see that they were all past their prime and had spots on the undersides.  This wasn’t what the Holy Spirit wanted to show me.  I walked further into the yard. There behind the trampoline, we have a small fig tree.  It has struggled over 15 years of growth to get only 1 metre tall. We had transplanted the tree when we landscaped the yard, but it still had not flourished. Then the neighbours chopped down a large tree which overshadowed our yard and I had expected my fig tree to bloom but not then either.  Now as I walked into the yard I could see that my fig tree looked different. There on one branch were 5 figs. Not quite ripe but on the way to being fruit to eat.  I couldn’t see any figs on any of the other branches. This was surprising – why only on one branch.  So I asked the Holy Spirit- what does this mean?  I didn’t expect an answer so soon. I walked upstairs and opened my bible at John 15 and there I read

 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Jesus spoke these words to his disciples not long before he was crucified.  I suddenly saw Jesus speaking these words to me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

That word spoke to me for many months as I recalled it. It was about abiding in Him and listening to His voice and remaining in that place of abiding.  The Great Games of the Holy Spirit are about listening to His voice and having my spiritual ears open to hearing and then being able to meditate and ask questions to receive more understanding.  Sometimes I see something and an image remains with me for a long time and this is having spiritual eyes open to what the Holy Spirit is teaching me.  Again it can be a game as I learn this new skill.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit wants to play a game of surprise. He wants to surprise us with knowing the little details of our lives. I remember a few years ago on a family holiday to Tasmania I wanted to meet Sirpa who was a dear friend to my late mother.  I looked up this lady in the phone book and checked online sources for information on how to find her but without success. I didn’t know she had changed her surname.  But the Holy Spirit likes to surprise us.  One morning I couldn’t find my bible for my daily reading.  Instead of forgetting about it and giving myself a holiday from reading, I decided to venture out to buy another bible. My son and I walked around the city streets and went into one book shop. They didn’t have any bibles but the shop attendant directed me to a Christian bookstore about 2 blocks away.  We walked together to this shop and browsed for 10 minutes while I chose a Message bible.  We went to the counter to pay for our purchase and while there I turned around and then the surprise.  Sirpa was standing in line behind me. It was such a surprise. We hugged and cried together at this amazing divine appointment.  Sirpa told me that she had a doctor’s appointment close to this shop and had arrived 15 minutes early to buy a birthday present for her daughter. She had seen me coming to visit her in a dream three days before. God directed me to the same shop to be there at exactly the same time. I know the Holy Spirit hid my bible that morning so I would go out to look for another bible. I later found my bible in the hire car. I just imagined the Holy Spirit chuckling at all of this- behind the scenes organisation, that brought me and Sirpa together that morning. These are the Great Games of the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes I get heavy with carrying loads that I am not supposed to be carrying. As a mother I worry about my children. I worry they might not make right choices, and might not become all that God intends them to become. In that moment Holy Spirit reminds me that He has given me promises about my children.  I trust Him to be faithful to His word. I remember that it is satan who tells me to worry and brings an image of something that might go wrong.  I decide in that moment to not partner with the enemy of my soul whose only weapon is intimidation. The only power the enemy has to inflict damage is when I give him the power.  In the Great Games of the Holy Spirit I am learning about recognising that other voice that comes to take away my peace and then learning the art of disempowering the enemy with rejoicing in all my circumstances. When I remember that the Prince of Peace has promised to never leave me or forsake me, I can hold my peace and rejoice no matter what the circumstances.

However there are times when I fail to realise this truth, it is just like I am a small child learning to walk and my faltering steps are interrupted by a tumble.  God the Father and the Holy Spirit and Jesus are there urging me to get up and try again. They don’t get upset by my fall, they just urge me to get up and walk again. They know that one day I will be walking automatically and then I will learn to run.

Today in your Christian mindfulness journey- fill up on the Holy Spirit.  Walk in all of your days with an expectancy that the Holy Spirit will teach you new skills and sometimes it comes in the form of a game. Enjoy!