I think I often underestimate kids. Every time I go home and visit my little brother or my cousins, I'm reminded of this. At times, they undermine all my "intelligence" "knowledge," and "maturity," in one fell swoop. I think about how often the scriptures counsel us to repent and humble ourselves to become as little children. And I wonder... if we study little children, and spend time with them, is it possible to capture some of that wonder and enchantment... is it possible for those of us who are "learned and wise" to remember how to be "a child"? What would that look like? And what exactly did Christ mean when he said that, and how do we enact that commandment-- to become again as little children?
I think that Jonathan Safran Foer has been able in some ways to do this in his book "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." I just ordered it on half.com, so if you know me, I might let you borrow it. Many of you have read it. It's about a kid named Oscar, 8 years old, whose father (in the story) died in the Twin Towers. The book is his attempt to come to terms with that death, and pull together other loose strands from his family's frayed and fragmented past.
It's one of my new favorite books, the kind you fall in love with from page one. And one of the reasons I love it so much is because of Oscar's voice. It is full of throbbing pain and heartache, but under-girded with equal amounts of love, hope, and redemption. I would argue with anyone who says it's simply "sentimental," because I believe it's one of the most important books that has been written in recent years. I think in writing this, Foer has in some sense redirected Post-modernism (this literary era we consider ourselves to be in) for the better. But that's another post for another day.
We still have so much to learn. And that's ok. :)
Anyway.
Here are some other kids who just won my heart over. I know that the "scary" Second Coming is supposed to be upon us, but I'm just going say: if this is what is "slouching toward Bethlehem to be born"(below), bring it on. I'll be a tickled observer. Just check out these gals:
The story of Jonah from Corinth Baptist Church on Vimeo.
(This first one just made me chuckle. I really hope that my daughter is this animated.)
(A couple things I noticed after getting over my own feelings of guitar inadequacy: That's a FULL-SIZE guitar-- freak, it's almost bigger than her body! And look how little her fingers are! Even people with normal sized fingers have a hard time playing a full-size guitar, let alone bar chords. And she's got her theory down-pat. Incredible. I almost can't believe she's from this planet. I wondered until the point in the song where she starts smiling. Definitely human.)
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