NAD Adventist Single Adult Ministries : Forum

There are cycles in our lives when we feel less than our usual selves - less energetic, less creative and less enthusiastic.

One delightfuly way to jump start that natually curious kid inside is to observe young children. Uncritically watch the magic of their fascination and enthusiasm. Listen to their easy, infectious laughter.

Buy an inexpensive journal or spiral notepad. List a variety of things that bring you pleasure and reduce the stresses of daily living - gardening, exercising, listening to good music, reading a juicy novel, laughing uncontrollably, walking in the forest, meeting a friend, creating a new project or just sitting. Put a circle around five of your favorites.

Next to that list, create another list indicating, how many times recently you've done these things that bring you pleasure. Take out your monthly calendar and make a date with yourself to do three out of the five things during the month.

After each activity, indicate in your journal or notebook if there were any of the following changes:

Muscle relaxation.
A sense of release.
Improved mobility.
Reduced psychological tension.
Reduced pain and discomfort.
Increased alertness.

If you do feel there were positive emotional changes, reduced stress or less pain from the activities you engaged in, consider including the activities in your weekly prescrition for health. When you're not yourself, use these as tools to help balance and refocus things into their proper perspective.

Sounds like a perscription, doesn't it!

I'm lucky enough to observe young children all the time -- I have my own preschool. I've often thought we could ease a lot of our grownup problems by being a little more like them in the wonderful way they have of not making life too complicated, of loving freely, of being quick to forget slights and be friends, and in being satisfied with the simpler things in life.

I would like to write a book and call it something on the order of "Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Preschool".

HEY 1STBORN

WOW so you are going to write a book

that is great

dgrimm60

Yes, the way children are so accepting, loving and forgiving of others is certainly something we as adults could emulate. Too often we hold slights and hurts agains others for a long time or even for a lifetime. We're a sad lot, aren't we.

1stborn, it sounds like you have a very enjoyable work - that of daycare. I'm sure it is also a heavy responsibility.

Heavy responsibility? Oh, yes! But the rewards are out of this world

Working with kids is rewarding, isn't it?! I taught grades 1-2 and 1-6, etc. for 11 years. Now one of my responsibilities is Children's Ministries and it is very enjoyable. I suspect all of us in our church should be working with children more than we do because George Barna Research found that 32% of children between the ages of 5-12 Years give their hearts to Christ while 4% between 13-18 Years do and only 6% gives their hearts to Christ as adults 19 years or over. That should tell us something but, many times it doesn't. So, I agree with you that the rewards of working with kids are out of this world!

Interesting that you should talk about decisions for Christ at a young age. This Sabbath one of my kids is getting baptized and she has invited me to attend. She'll be eleven in August but I've taken care of her since she was six months old. You had better believe I wouldn't miss it for the world! I was baptized at eleven and I remember being quite sure in spite of my parents' hesitance -- it just wasn't usual to be baptized before thirteen in that day. They never doubted my commitment. They were hung up in the tradition
It can still be a problem today. My nephew wanted to be baptized when he was ten but the pastor was unwilling to do it because of his age. He got so discouraged he has never been willing to take that step again. He'll be nineteen on Sunday. I know God has not given up on him but it's a matter of earnest prayer on my behalf because at this point he's not going to church. I just realized how far off topic this has gotten. Sorry about that! We will now return to our regular programming

It may be off the topic but, they are still good and worthy comments. It's good to hear about children making their decision for Christ. I know I too was baptised during the ages of 5-12 (I was 12), so those statistics fit my situation also. And we can think of that about "Train up a child in the way they should go and when they are old they will not depart from it." (not quite exact) A very important verse to remember in raising children and a very important verse to remember in our churches. We need to work with children more than we do.