DRIVE Like a 6 year old

A story of Drive, thankfulness and trust

My 6 year old ran into our room recently squealing “Look! The Tooth Fairy brought me $1! Do you know what I’m going to do with it?” ( I will tell you the ending in a minute.) She was so excited, and had left the priceless gift of a meticulously drawn Rainbow and hearts, along with her tooth, for her fairy. Her DRIVE is a force to be reckoned with, and although exhausting at times it is fantastic to watch. She is one of those people who will persevere through the ‘hard’ to achieve what she sets her mind to! Do you know anyone like that? Call it a stubborn streak, assertiveness, or pure determination, but we’ve all witnessed it and can’t help but smile when we see the triumphant outcome of such persistence.

The 6 year old package is also filled with wonder and innocence and TRUST. It is the unhindered GRATITUDE over the smallest wonders, like a perfect pinecone, a red or golden oak leaf, a hickory nut to split open, a ladybug or rolypoly, or a full moon. It’s the thank you for a cup of water at bedtime because ‘Mom, you’re the Best! because you always take care of me’. It’s the wonderful thankfulness that pours out of this little girl over gettting an ice pop, letting her choose what’s for dinner, allowing her to crack the egg and make a mess of the kitchen when baking.

Then wrapped up in all that thankfulness is pure, innocent TRUST. The kind that fairytales try to capture. But you know what? More than any fairytale, my kids have shown me pure TRUST. Over and over. I disappoint them at times but they never fail to trust. Ya know, the tooth fairy forgets or has a hard night and just doesn’t make it for a couple of nights. But when she comes, it is like we’ve announced we are going to Disney! And here’s the lesson: Trust like a 6 year old, be thankful like a 6 year old, and drive like a 6 year old.

You remember the $1 from the first sentence? We have been talking about how to help others and what’s most important for us to focus on as a family before dinner and bedtime. Her sweet, innocent self took that $1, added some coins from her piggybank, and donated it to church. She said ‘Mommy, I want to always help God help people. I’m thankful for God. I want him to have it ALL.’ She then skipped out the door to play, while I melted like a stick of butter and maybe had a tear or two. I knew better in that moment than to deny her this choice because that beautiful DRIVE she has brilliantly burst from her and the force of it could not be reckoned with by this mere mama. I hope to always remember and attempt to DRIVE and thank and trust just like my 6 year old!

Here’s a Side Note: As a parent, my (hopefully successful) job is to channel that drive in a positive direction as much as I can. I recently read a book by Lysa Terkeurst, The Best Yes. It has practical advice about choosing carefully what to say Yes to. It is encouraging and caused me to really think about and choose my priorities.