Photo and Commentary ©2024 by Maylan Schurch
Friday, August 9, 2024
On a neighborhood walk in mid-June, Shelley and I noticed this heart-tugging little scene. On the sidewalk, close up against the base of a basketball hoop so they’ll interfere as little as possible with the family car’s entrances and exits from the driveway, are three toy vehicles, a little picnic table, and on top of the table a device which—never having kids myself—I cannot identify.
These vehicles seem to show the growth of the child. The red “covered wagon” lets a tot ride around with mom or dad pulling them. Then, as the tot grows older (let’s call her a “she,”) she is presented with the googly-eyed “SUV” on the left, which has a seat and also open floor access so with her heels she can propel herself down the sidewalk, aided by the helpful swiveling front wheels.
Soon, though, this foot-power SUV gets too cramped (and boring), and she graduates to the pink-and-purple hot rod, which is most likely run by electricity.
But she keeps growing, and soon she has no further use for the hot rod, and turns to other pursuits. And mom and dad, maybe shedding a nostalgic tear, bite the bullet and clear out the clutter by marking it “Free.” As I remember it, I only saw these items on view one day. By the next, they seemed to have been snapped up by the parents of other kids who are probably delightedly scooting them across their own cul-de-sacs.
Kids grow up, right? And according to the Bible, Christians should as well. Check out three Bible passages about spiritual maturity by clicking the link just below.