You Can See It In the Eyes

One thing I love about children under the age of 5 is the innocence and sparkle that lives in their eyes.  There is so much that you can tell about a person from their eyes. And a little one hasn’t been tainted by the world yet. They haven’t been betrayed by someone they trusted. They haven’t seen things they wished they hadn’t. They haven’t been disappointed by dreams that didn’t work out or burdened by responsibilities that they wish they didn’t have to bear.

They are untapped.

I can always see it in a child’s eyes when they get to that age where life has entered in a not-so beautiful way. That sparkle, pure joy, and innocence is gone. Forever. And it saddens me to no end. I can always see the pain that has seeped in. The knowledge. The change.

If only we could tap back into that child that lives in each one of us. The child that believed the impossible. Forgave the unforgiveable and loved the unloveable. The child that didn’t care if people watched while they danced or if they said something incorrectly. The child that loved with abandon and trusted with a completely open heart.

That’s how God wants us to come. As a child.

It may be hard to protect our children from letting life seep in and take that innocence and complete happiness out of their eyes – but we can walk with them through it. We can restore it whenever possible with the joy that only God can give us. We can give them confidence in deeper things. Love. Acceptance. And understanding.

And the next time we see a little one – maybe we should take a few extra minutes to look into their eyes and catch a glimpse of their heart.  If we’re lucky, some of their optimism, belief, joy and innocence will rub off onto us…if only for awhile.