What Can You Learn from Your 3 year old?

Today my daughter, Kyah, turns three! Happy B-day Kyah!

We can learn so much from 3 year olds for instance:

•  how to thoroughly enjoy life. 
• They live in the moment never
          worried about tomorrow. 
• They are little sponges excitely
           soaking up all the new things
           around them with a teachable
           and humble heart.  
• They are generally happy since
           they are silliness experts
           (see my last blog about how
           silliness ability is important
            to your happiness).

 Yet today, I was surprised to realize that Kyah can even teach me about the two greatest commandments - Love God and Love others more.

1. Love Others - Kyah never says to me, "You are in my personal space." Physical affection is never awkward or uncool at her age. Kyah loves me, her Big Daddy, and sisters no matter what and always wants to spend time with us no matter how we are acting or feeling. We are her world. She is never too busy to drop what she is doing to spend time with one of us. One of her great hugs and a sweet smile can brighten our day like nothing else. I wish I was better at making people feel loved and special the way Kyah does.

2. Love God - Kyah has a true child-like faith, where she trusts and believes without doubt whatever I say. However, that is not how I want to be more like her.  I want to love my Heavenly Father, the way she loves her Daddy. He is definitely her favorite. She is her Daddy's girl! She even has a favorite shirt that says, "My heart belongs to Daddy." She follows him around outside "helping" him with his chores.  But her favorite time is when they just sit and talk. I love to watch her and her Daddy as she soaks up every word he says, and enjoys sharing with him the new things she has learned or experienced that day. This is what my daily quiet time with God should look like. I do an okay job of walking with God throughout my daily activies, but I really need to work on sitting quietly to spend quality time reading His Word and praying on a consistent basis.

The name Kyah means diamond in the sky, so I call her My Shining Star. She has her dramatic moments of sadness, selfishness, and stubborness as any diva does, but generally "My Little Star" truly brightens my life and our home like no one else can with her enjoyment for life and love.

How can you love God and others more? What can you learn from your kids?