English Compass - bringing christian fellowship to korean americans

I Want to be Nine…

* Edited from a blog post from the past:

I am a High School teacher. There are not too many times in life when I am rendered speechless because of something someone says. Lately, it's been happening more often, but most of the time it's because I'm appalled rather than because I'm completely enthralled. 

But today, thanks to a little child, I was rendered completely speechless. In a very enthralled kind of way. 

I was driving a friend of mine to have a special belated birthday dinner. Her nine-year old son was sitting in the back seat , and as we were conversing, he chimed in: "I don't want to get older. I want to stay just the way I am." 

Since I have almost always enjoyed my increasing wisdom and age, of course I tried to convince him that getting older wasn't that bad. 

My friend, however, interrupted me, telling me softly, "Ask him why." 

So I did. And his answer blew me away, and at that moment, all I wanted to do was become nine years old again and stay that way until Jesus comes. Up until now, no one has ever succeeded in convincing me that becoming small again is something worthy of desire. 

His simple answer was, "So when I see Jesus, I can sit on his lap." 

And the only thing that burst out of my mouth after a few seconds of silence as I struggled with this in my mind and groped uselessly for words was, "I want to sit on His lap, too!!" And the thought of me as a supposedly self-sufficient, fully grown adult trying to wiggle her way onto a spot on the lap of Jesus amidst scores of innocent children melted my heart... and I wanted to become nine.

But thank God that His lap is big enough for even the oldest of us... and I told the boy that when he is sitting there asking Jesus to retell some of the stories He told here on earth (his other desire), I wanted to be there... and perhaps Jesus will see the little child in me, aching to feel His hands, His face, and His beautiful presence...

__________

Jen Song is a High School teacher in Virginia.