A Child can always teach an adult

"A child can always teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires."

Interesting reflections to me from the book, "The Fifth Mountain." When I see children running with all their might with no particular goal but the joy of running, I wonder what has happened to us as we've grown older. How do we forget to live life with such enthusiasm, with such inflamed ardor. How do we grow complacent and fat. How is it that we come to accept our fate instead of choose it, when God has given us the divine right to wrestle for his blessing. That is the primary theme of this book I'm reading: that we should choose our fate, not accept it. It fits with what I've been reflecting on in life, with other sources that have been influencing me recently, only it is much more God-centered in its mindset.

In this book Elijah recalls the Jacob story, where he wrestled with God and achieved for himself a new name, which God bestowed on him. What he does not recollect is that the angel of the lord who wrestled with Jacob finally gave him a lame leg to end the contest. Jacob prevailed, but he had difficulty walking the rest of his life. I don't know what particular lesson might be in that fact, which may support or defy the lesson of the Fifth Mountain, but I find it interesting. Food for thought.