I fell down a nostalgia hole recently, listening to some of the music I listened to in high school and college. It’s amazing how much more important that music feels than stuff I listen to now. I don’t think I’m unique in this experience. There is something about the media you consumed in that stage of life that just hits you differently no matter how far removed you are. Even if it objectively sounds bad (because it was a friend playing guitar and yelling into a tape recorder) it still taps into those feelings I had when I first listened to it as a teenager.

I heard one person describe this experience as feeling understood for the first time. When you’re growing up you encounter a lot of feelings that you don’t understand because it’s your first time feeling them. And then a song comes on and you immediately connect. Girls are confusing. Boys are weird. Parents don’t understand. Teachers are dumb. My friends are important. My current experience doesn’t define the rest of my life.

These may feel simplistic, but I’m sure there is something in that list that resonated then and might just resonate with you now. As we grow, we must work hard to keep hold of our childlike wonder.

Jesus tells us in Luke 18:17, “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” We place our full trust in Jesus to fulfill his promise. We listen to the call on our lives. It takes a lot more effort to act with this childlike faith than it takes to be an actual child.

When you were a kid, this came naturally. You followed your whims without analyzing the cost or wondering if it was a waste of time. Yes, sometimes this got you in trouble, but sometimes it took you on an adventure that you still talk about all these years later. You can still have the experience of awe and wonder and being understood that you had back then. You just need to seek it out.