Heaven: Go Like a Kid.

Sky Harbor. Sounds like a place the Millennium Falcon would pull in for a pit stop…super cool, right? It’s actually the Phoenix Airport. I spent a couple of hours there on Monday as I flew to San Diego to buy a car…it was packed. The 8 a.m. Starbucks line stretched out into the terminal, jamming traffic and irritating nearly everyone except those who had already received their morning caffeine fix. I finally found a seat next to a carry-on suitcase with a suit coat on top. As I sat down I heard a voice, “Oh….ummm.”

It belonged to a snappy dressed late thirty-something businessman who had been busy chatting on his cell phone and was now looking at me with a scowl.

“Ah, screw it,” he said and restarted the engine on his important sounding phone conversation. Further down I spotted the owner of the luggage I was hanging out with and whose seat I had apparently stolen. He was also crunching through important data on his cell piece as he casually walked in a small circle. Then a third business stud walked up with two cups of coffee and handed one to Mr. Seat Watcher.

“Oh, thanks Todd.” Haha…of course…his name would be Todd. No response as Todd was also apparently master minding the next big company deal on his phone.

I sat, fascinated with this trifecta of business pros…the kind that can "choose any car" when renting from National. Each had a different tactic. Mr. Seat Watcher was giving fake belly laughs followed by “get outta town”’s. Mr. Data Cruncher just couldn’t be pleased and barked about production levels being unacceptable. Todd was keeping his cool but definitely needed the proposals by the end of the week and wasn’t afraid to “talk to Linda about it if I need to.” All three walked in small circles pausing occasionally to give each other a "broseph" nod or use body language to emphasize whatever point they were making.

A flight arrives at our gate…more people begin to flood the already packed terminal increasing the tension and noise. What a goat rodeo. The three amigos don’t miss a beat. The belly laughs get louder, the barking gets more intense, and Todd starts using bigger words.

And it was in this environment that I had an epiphany (of sorts) about the human condition. It was like in Ratatouille when the food critique takes a bite of the main course and his pupils dilate as time stands still.

I look around…what an absolute clown show. Everybody is urgently walking this way or that, checking their watches with irritated sighs that it’s taking so long to get a bagel. I look back at the National-renting business frat brothers who are still going like pros. I mean, who ever dreamt of being that as a kid?

And then it hit me: this is why childhood is the key to the Kingdom of Heaven. Kids don’t do this. They don’t over-complicate their own lives on purpose. They don’t sacrifice their joy on the altar of success. Their happiness isn’t entirely dependent on their immediate reality. Somehow growing into modern adulthood slowly kills off the ability to be surprised, to marvel, to wonder. It passes over small things that could bring joy in order to stay focused on big things that many times never work out.

Don’t get me wrong; I really like the idea of growing into an adult. In fact, the Bible nearly mandates it. There is a process: growing older until you leave your parents to start your own life. There is a time for everything, including being a youth and being an adult. There is a time to walk, talk, and act like a child…but also a time to put those things behind you and “become a man.” But how to strike the balance? How do I become a man while staying a child?

Behind Todd there are two small boys, brothers. They take turns jumping off a seat and landing on the ground, laughing uncontrollably while they excitedly wait to experience the joy of flight. They are literally the only two people in the terminal having a good time. They aren’t stressed out about their flight, or coffee, or business proposals…they trust that their parents know what’s going on and will get them to where they need to go.

One lands too close to Todd. He steps aside like people do when they avoid gum or dog poo and shakes his head at Mr. Seat Watcher who raises his arms and mouths, “I know, right?”

God, give me the wisdom of an adult, but help me keep the heart of a child…because heaven would suck if you let "adults" in.