The Mind of a Child

By: Jessica Breazeale

Walker's Painting: Not a monster, a man kneeling to pray.

One year at Goat Camp, I learned a lesson in a way I will never forget.

For those of you who don’t know, our family hosts a free kids camp twice a year—every October and April—with sports, activities, dinner, and guest speakers. It’s a fun way to share the gospel with kids and teens of all ages.

This was one of our first GOAT Camps, and we had an activity where kids could paint on a canvas. The instructions were simple: When you think of heaven, what do you see? It was meant to let the kids show their creativity while also opening the door to talk about where they place their hope for the future.

Now, any leader, mom, or parent can relate when I say I was extremely multitasking that day. In the middle of camp, I was running around making sure kids were in the right places, volunteers were where they needed to be, transitions were happening on time, kids were fed, drinks were filled, microphones were working, and spilled pizza was picked up. I was talking to a parent who called me over, checking on sign-ins—it was hectic. There was a lot going on.

Because of that, I didn’t make it over to the activity section to watch my son Walker paint his masterpiece.

Later that night, when we got home, we were unpacking the car—absolutely exhausted—eating leftover cold pizza. Walker showed me his painting.

At first, I was dumbfounded.

I said, “Walker, what is that? Why couldn’t you just pay attention to the instructions? What in the world makes you think there are monsters in heaven? It’s not like you don’t know—we talk about it all the time. There aren’t going to be monsters or any scary things in heaven. I just feel like you missed the mark and were playing instead of doing what your leader asked you to do.”

I had already jumped to my conclusion.

Then came the lesson I had to learn the hard way.

He said, “Mom, what are you talking about? I DID follow the instructions. She said to paint what you see in heaven. This man is kneeling down, praying.”

Oh my goodness—I felt about two inches tall. How could I not see what he saw? 

I had just been humbled by an eight-year-old who reminded me what it means to have the mind of a child. Because if I don’t, I’m going to miss some of the best things.

Scripture comes to mind: be like little children (Matthew 18:3, Mark 10:15) … for they will inherit the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:14, Mark 10:14).

If I’m constantly thinking adult thoughts, trying to make everything overly complicated, I’m going to miss out on some of the best blessings God wants to give me.

What about you?

Do you learn lessons the hard way?

Do you think we could all stand to put on the mind of a child sometimes, so we can be more pleasant, more calm, more thoughtful, and more intentional?

What’s the bigger picture?

• Don’t jump to conclusions. 

• Give your kids the benefit of the doubt sometimes. 

• Be like a little child. They have more fun anyway.