“Build like a Child” – from God’s Other Ways, On-line

On a warm summer day at a beautiful beach, a little boy on his knees scoops and packs the sand with plastic shovels into a bucket. He upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created. He works all afternoon spooning out the moat, packing the walls, building sentries with bottle tops and bridges with Popsicle sticks. With his hours of hard work on the beach a sandcastle will be built.

In a big city with busy streets and rumbling traffic, a man works in an office.  He shuffles papers into stacks, delegates assignments, cradles the phone on his shoulder and punches the keyboard with his fingers. He juggles with numbers, contracts get signed and much to the delight of the man, a profit is made. All his life he will work, formulating the plans and forecasting the future. His annuities will be sentries and capital gains will be bridges. An empire will be built.

The two builders of  the two castles have much in common. They both shape granules into grandeurs. They both make something beautiful out of nothing. They both are diligent and determined to build their world. And for both, the tide will rise and the end will come. Yet, that is where the similarities cease. 

For, the little boy sees the end of his castle, while the man ignores it . As the dusk approaches and the waves near, the child jumps to his feet and begins to clap as the waves wash away his masterpiece. There is no sorrow. No fear. No regret. He is not surprised, he knew this would happen. He smiles, picks up his tools and takes his father’s hand, and goes home.

The man in his sophisticated office is not very wise like the child. As the wave of years collapses on his empire, he is terrified. He hovers over the sandy monument to protect it. He tries to block the waves with the walls he made. He snarls at the incoming tide. “It’s my castle,” he defies. The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand belongs.

Go ahead and build your dreams, but build with a child’s heart. When the sun sets and the tides take – applaud. Salute the process of life and go home with a smile.

Author unknown

I love this story – so simple, so very true! It brings to mind two very pertinent verses from the Bible:

Matt (18.3) said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

And in Psalm 127 1a “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain”

May we continue to build with sacred commitment but with the heart of a child.

And when the sands of life wash it away, give us the courage to brush ourselves down and place our hand in the hand of the Father in total trust that “The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind”. (Job 12.10)

Have a wonderful holiday – be safe and God bless!

~ Sarah Pollitt

College Chaplain

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