The temptation to drink from the fountain of youth is really an invitation to come and live. Child-like faith. Children of God. Born again. Renew. We are called to become like children, but that doesn't seem easy to do. For some, the pain of stolen adolescence lingers throughout adulthood and ruins a healthy view of what it's like to be a kid again. For others, the rush to "grow up" makes it seem nearly impossible to embrace the here-and-now perspective most children have the ability to see.
For fear of appearing needy and desperate, our request for help dies into self-sufficiency. Any attention to the matters of the heart feels dirty. Wonder turns into unhealthy skepticism and wanderlust fades into indifference. The thought of what could be is diluted with fear and judgement, but freedom and fascination are still at every corner. Do we drink or divert?
We are beckoned to become like children, not called back into our childhood. In other words, child-like, not childish. We are invited to a relationship where colors are brighter, ideas are new, anything is possible, and it's terrifying without a tender Father.