Isaiah 11:6-10

“The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.” vs. 6

Isaiah’s picture of the peaceable kingdom captures our hearts with its powerful and pointed imagery. Imagine a world, he says, where these unlikely pairings can live in peace and harmony. That’s how it could be, he claims. No, more than that, that’s how it will be! Scoffers are quick to say such a world is an impossibility; lions and wolves will never become vegetarians and leopards can never change their spots. But that’s not Isaiah’s point! He’s simply saying in the most picturesque way that some day things are going to be different. The rancor and vitriolic hatred that divide humans will pass out of mind and we will have a world dominated by mercy and love. The key to the change is in the phrase, “a little child shall lead them.” Jesus implied the same thing when he took the child in his arms and told his disciples, “unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” We have become so jaundiced with our constant bickering and beastly behaviors. Perhaps it really is time to look to children as our guides to new ways of relating. We’ll be seeing many examples of their hopeful innocence as Christmas approaches. They really are the true believers…and in their world wolves and lambs can be best buddies.

Thought for the Day: What can I learn from watching children?