Free to Be

Tonight as I recover from a busy and fun day of babysitting/entertaining two precious grandsons, ages 5 and 8, I also wrestle with the thought that our culture is becoming defined by restlessness created (at least in part) by both overt and subtle sensory overload.

Where/how/when do kids these days experience quiet, stillness, and abandonment – simplicity, creativity, and inner peace? Are these things buried beneath heaps of plastic toys, so-called “happy” meals that invite indulgence and illness, blaring arcade games (which seem a precursor to gambling), costly “organized” recreational pursuits and, to sum it all up, ARTIFICIALITY? Do kids anywhere climb apple trees and listen to the leaves sing? Is the spirit of Huckleberry Finn obsolete? Are there any outposts of Eden?

I’ve never liked for older generations to play the “when I was a child” card - as if to insinuate life is always better in the old days - and yet I find myself thinking about the hours/days/weeks/months I spent with no companions or toys other than wildflowers, rocks, shells, dragonflies, minnows, snails, red-winged blackbirds, turtles and frogs. What heart-level foundations were laid in that close-to-the-earth-environment ? What foundations are being laid in children today amidst so much stimulating, contrived, and sensory-indulging technology? I wonder.

I realize potential pros and cons confront children of every age. However, this evening I long for all of my grandkids, who are thankfully growing up with God-fearing parental guidance and many growth-inducing opportunities and advantages, to also discover heart-level quiet and rest; to be FREE.