Do you remember the last time your jaw dropped and you stood amazed because you were so impressed with what you were seeing?

Last week we took our girls, along with their cousin and a friend, to the circus.  Some friends from church had given us some passes for the circus that allowed us to get front row seats for the show.  The girls are all at the perfect age for the circus.  My wife captured the photo included in this post of all the girls with a look of amazement on their faces.  Again and again through the performance I looked over to see that they were clearly amazed by what they were seeing.  It was a really fun night!

In the days following, I began to think about the last time I was so thoroughly amazed that my jaw dropped and I was left with an awe struck expression.  It was challenging to think of some examples.  I could remember times as a kid when I was overwhelmed in amazement.  More recently I could think of the birth of my children and major milestones in their lives that left me awe struck.

But interestingly mixed in with those moments of excitement and accomplishment were jaw-dropping moments of shock caused by major world events.  I clearly remember standing in our bedroom, mouth open, watching TV reports of the Boston marathon bombing.  Is it difficult for adults to experience jaw-dropping excitement because we have been inundated with everything that is wrong with the world we live in?

I think adults are drawn to babies and young children because we can see in them an innocence, joy, and enthusiasm about life that we long to recapture.  The circus was fun for me but my mind was filled with the thoughts of an adult as I watched the show — My daughters will never wear an outfit like that.  That elephant sure looks mad, I hope it doesn’t go on a rampage.  Men shouldn’t wear flesh-colored clothing.  I wonder if the circus broke even on tonight’s performance. 

I am guessing (and hoping) that the thoughts of my children were different than mine that night.  I was reminded of a song by Jack Johnson, my favorite musician.  His song “Go On” is about watching his own children and the way they observe the world and the difference in their perception of the things around them.  The first verse of the song says:

In my rear view
I watch you watching the twilight
Behind the telephone lines
With nothing to prove, or to assume
Just thinking that your thoughts are different than mine
In my rear view
I watch you
And I gave you your life, would you give me mine

I see you slowly swim away
Cause the light is leaving town
To a place that I can’t be
But there’s no apologies.

The innocence in the mind of a child is a place that we can’t go back to.  That is my main drive for the series of posts I have been writing on Tuesdays about media and the family.  We should jealously protect the innocence of our children and allow them every moment possible to enjoy that special world.  But growing up is inevitable.

I keep thinking about 1 Corinthians 13:11-12, which says, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.”  My view of this passage has changed since I have become a father.  My own desires have faded away and now I focus and think about what is best for my wife and my girls, knowing that I only see a portion of the picture right now.  When these verses are set in the greater context of the chapter, which is true love, I recognize the great impact that my words and actions can carry for my family.

As adults, we may not sit at a circus, mouths agape in amazement.  But perhaps that is because we have moved on to the next level of amazement as we begin to see the bigger picture of life and the hand of God at work.  I always viewed the passage from Corinthians as being slightly negative.  Why would I want to put away childish things?  Perhaps it is because God has bigger and better things He wants to reveal to us when we are ready for them.

I take this as an encouragement to myself to slow down and enjoy my family.  I write about slowing down a lot as a constant reminder to myself to fully enjoy every day with my young family.  I have made a purposed effort in the past few weeks to tune out the distractions of modern technology and the world around me so I can focus on the world that has been given to me to guide, nurture, and love.  Today I often find my jaw-dropping moments in the incredible blessings and responsibilities I have been given.

I leave you with a performance of Jack Johnson’s “Go On.”

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