A neurobiologist came across my social media feed. He makes short videos of himself doing simple movements that help our brains + bodies recover what we had in childhood. Some of the movements are simple, others a little more complex, all are helpful for decreasing pain and increasing abilities in our bodies.

Ok, cool. I've tried some. Doing so got me thinking about other things that are lost to my childhood: curiosity, awe, play, reading in the back window of the car on trips, and probably a lot of other things, too. I still do these things (ok, not all of them) but not the way I did as a child.

The world was a place of puzzles and secrets waiting to be revealed and I wanted to uncover them all. I spent a lot of time with my dad in his workshop watching and helping him build things, and I always had plenty of questions about how things worked and why they did. He always let me help him, whether it be using power tools, working on the roof, or in the crawl space under the house. I felt like an explorer in the countless books I read, uncovering life's mysteries.

What I’ve realized is that many of those childhood gifts of curiosity, awe, and play are not gone. They’re just waiting to be rediscovered. Jesus often reminded his followers to receive the kingdom like a child, not because children are naive, but because they are open. They notice things. They ask questions. They trust enough to explore. (Have you taken a walk with a toddler recently?)

As adults, we can reclaim some of that posture. We may not crawl into the back window of a car with a book anymore, but we can still pause long enough to read with wonder. We may not spend hours in the workshop with a parent, but we can still ask questions that lead us deeper into life and faith. And we can still play, whether that looks like laughter over a board game, a walk that feels like discovery, or trying something new just for the joy of it.

My wish for you this week, Reader, is that you find one place to practice childlike wonder. Be curious, be playful, ask questions. In doing so, you’ll find yourself closer to the God who delights in every spark of discovery. That's the fiLLLed life.

Live a fiLLLed life, Melissa ​