Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?

 I was talking with my son earlier this week and I told him about how I could make myself dream about anything that I wanted to dream about when I was a child. I could even make myself dream in cartoons if I wanted to. Before I went to sleep I would just say to myself "I am going to dream about _____..." and I did. I could also change my dream if I was dreaming and I didn't like something about that dream. I lost that ability when I was around 7 years old.What changed? My innocence. As I got older my experiences and environment shifted my perception. The frontal cortex, the part of the brain that controls reasoning developed more and more as I got older and as it did my ability to reason and the way I saw the world changed. There are countless scriptures about being childlike in the Bible. What characteristics do children have that we lose as we get older? trust, faith, concern for others, love, not being aware of the differences between other people etc. There is so much that we can learn from children. Life can change you; it can make you cold, judgmental, selfish and it can do it slowly over time so that we don't notice the shifts. God tells us to renew our mind; to bring it back to an original condition of freshness and vigor..this will transform us; it will completely change our appearance or character causing us to become more like Jesus Christ. I am on a quest to regain those childlike qualities and I am going to have fun along the way by doing things that I enjoyed while I was a child like blowing bubbles, having dance parties, when it gets warmer walking barefoot etc. Will you join me?

Romans 12:2

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 

Mark 10:15 

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

Matthew 18:

At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.