Things I learned...

Sometimes I get the feeling Reba and I are being used. We post some good stuff on here, but I think that some people come to the blog just to look at our cute daughter. It's like a good magazine...nobody reads the articles they just look at the pictures! So, the pictures will be below. I'll make my paragraphs short so they don't seem so daunting.

Do you remember the posters that came out a few years ago that were titled "Everything I needed to learn in life I learned in kindergarten?" If you don't, well they had like 500 things that were cute but true and they had something to do with life lessons learned in kindergarten.

Lately I (yep me again) have gotten to spend time with the Z-ster so Reba can get work done in the afternoon. So after Zion and I went for a jog in her new jogging stroller, we went to the park. Most of you who know Zion, know how special she is. Let me give you an illustration.

There is a young man in our church that so happens to be the husband of the young lady who took care of Zion when Reba was working full time. They got to know eachother very well (Andre and Zion). You probably also know that babies have short memories, so when Zion and Reba went away for a month over Christmas Zion came back and had a hard time remembering all of her friends. She looked at them like she knew they should be familiar, but she couldn't quite place them. Normally, she would reach out for friends to hold her or she would say hi and smile. This was especially true with Andre. Keep in mind that Andre was almost like Zion's beau! Andre was, needless to say, heartbroken most of the month of January.

Andre became very ill and was in the hospital for a couple of weeks in January, as well. I won't say what it was, but we were very concerned for his life. Every night we prayed with Zion and for Andre to get better. Three weeks later Andre was back at church. When Zion saw Andre, whose name we mentioned every night specifically, she reached out for him and gave him the biggest, longest hug I had every seen her give anyone. She held onto him in a hugging position around his neck for literally 20 minutes. I think that one hug added five years to that man's life. She did it again the following week, but not as long this time. It was really one of the most special things I've ever witnessed. That's Zion.

To get back to the theme of this post I learned a life lesson from Zion today. We went to the park (sorry, I said that already). At the park, there were a few kids there. Zion, of course, wants to make instant friends and gives a wave, smile and hi. Generally, Zion is the youngest kid there. She was today as well. Older kids aren't usually as nice. They may smile, especially the girls, but they usually don't have time to wait for a less agile being. They simply scamper along and go down the slide or onto the next play thing. Anyway, Zion is extremely friendly. When 4pm rolled around I think some afterschool program let out and about 20 kids came racing over from one of the rec buildings. I knew I had better get Zion out of there because these kids were around the 10 and over age. As we were walking away, Zion was really excited because she loves most everybody. She waves and says hello, but not one kid responded in kind. She noticed and there was a quick sense of disappointment. I quickly told her that not everyone is as friendly and kind as she is, but to never let that deter her from showing kindness to others.

As I thought about that moment a passage of scripture came to my mind that I have pondered for as long as I can remember hearing/reading about it. The passage is where Jesus' disciples got mad at a child for interupting something "important." Jesus told them to cut it out and invited the children over. I'm sure he probably told them a funny story or sang them a song, or maybe reached into his tunic and gave them a piece of wheat germ candy. Anyway, he then told his disciples and those around him that they should look at the kids and learn from them. They should have faith like a child.

Ok, I get it. Children are trusting, sometimes too trusting. So, we are to have absolute faith in Jesus. "Just trust me," he sometimes says. And that's very good advice. He's all-knowing, he is love, he is God. Why not trust him? There is no better person to trust...but...I've always had questions about what he was really saying. Child-like faith. I think the faith that Jesus was talking about was more than just about trust. I think he was actually talking about attitude...actions...heart...character...ideals...paradigms...foundations. These things are really what faith is about anyway. We certainly hear alot about faith right now because of the air time politcians are getting. My faith is this...my faith is that. Whatever!

Zion taught me about faith. I don't think that Zion is the only child out there that can teach this lesson and I don't think that Zion is the most speciallist child out there either. I'm just using Zion as an example. Zion's faith today and most days consists of kindness. She is kind and it doesn't matter if you are giving her anything in return. I really thought that if we could all just be kind to one another what a different place this would be. If we could just quit worrying about getting respect from someone or receiving kindness. Just be kind. Forget about communism (premise that everyone should be equal and no one has more than the other...only works in utopia), try kindnessism. This is what Jesus was talking about. You see, eventually, Zion's paradigm/faith will be changed by the hurt that is inflicted upon her by others. She will become guarded, perhaps jaded. She will be careful before she shows others kindness...that is what it means to "grow up." She will become more and more self-seeking as time goes on.

Jesus was telling us to just trust him because what we experience and what we learn through knowledge shapes our faith/foundations/paradigms/attitude/character/heart into something that it probably shouldn't be...angry...jealous...violent...selfish. So, first we must just trust him because he will definately take care of all of our needs. That will enable us to have childlike faith, which is to love, unconditionally, because he first loved us. Be kind...it's gonna hurt...but do it anyway. Here is some motivation:

Zion got a fun "globe from Reba's mom. There is a balloon inside...light as a feather!

Zion at the cool park I found. Lots of shade, grass and no sand!

Mommy and Zion made a whatcha-ma-callit!

Have you ever put on one shoe and then walked around the house looking for the other? It's very akward isn't it? I decided to do this to Zion the other night. We're not so different, she and I. It was as equally akward for her as it is for me. And walking in her shoes...

...is more ackward for me than it is for her.

I got this really cute bathrobe for Zion because she is getting to tall for her baby bath towels. I try to make elephant sounds, but it's nothing like the real thing. I found elephant sounds on the internet and she really enjoys those.