The Wild One Falls: Lessons from a Two-Year-Old

I have three children. They are awesome. Being very close in age (the three of them were born within three and half years of each other) allows for ample play together. My son, the middle child, can best be described as a “bro”. He is your buddy, he is fun, he is silly, he is also thoughtful and there for you. I am a bit biased, but he is also super cute. 

When my son was two years old, I had already solidified this strong bias. JJ was the coolest, the sweetest, and most handsome little man. He would wave with his pudgy little fingers and say “hi” in his tiny munchkin voice. His big blue eyes could melt any woman’s heart. He would demonstrate some wicked dance moves and, yes, he could hop with BOTH feet off the ground which he demonstrated many times. He would climb up high on tables and chairs, throw his arms up, and shout “ta-da!” He was (and still is) absolutely adorable.

But…if you put a sword in that sweet little boy’s hands, he turned into a wild man. An intense, beastly savage. His voice would change from munchkin to monster. On one occasion, my wild man had a sword in hand and was fiercely fighting with some sweet hops on the driveway. His sister was off in the grass twirling a ribbon and singing songs. She told me that her ribbon was a kite and twirled around and around…but JJ, wild man, was two-foot hopping and brandishing said sword and, now, shooting with it. The sword-gun attempted to slay the twirling kite. The sword-gun in such a mighty warrior’s hands turned on me, an apparent enemy. I made sickening sound effects as if his foam sword actually had the power to shoot bullets and wound me. Clutching my gut, I staggered, daring such a valiant warrior to try that again! He was seeking validation for how strong and wild and powerful he was.

As he hopped around, he failed to see a crack in the sidewalk. His two-year-old both feet of the ground hopping ability could not withstand such a hurdle. The warrior stumbled and fell. All time froze. The sword was inches from reach, the pain was obviously processing, and invincibility seemed no longer possible. The tears welled up, uncertain if his wounds might be mortal. Feeling the sting in his hands and knees as he gripped the pavement, he faced an imminent decision: cry or stand? He looked at me, his mommy, with those big blue eyes searching for the answer. What do I do now? The wild-beast-man-bullet- shooting-sword-warrior, JJ, has come to the saddest realization: he is not as strong as he thought he was. His efforts ended in disappointment. In one short second of a mistake, he felt like he had lost everything. Confidence was now beyond his grasp. Suspended in time, we locked eyes considering – now what?  He didn’t cry and he did not stand. He just waited. So, I made a decision. I stood from my chair and scooped him up, setting him on the table for his examination. He said nothing. He let me brush off his hands and pear closely. He let me pull his little pant legs up and check his knees. Saying nothing, I gave him a little kiss in the center of each palm and touched his knees gently.

“JJ did you get an ouchie?”

“Yes.” 

“JJ, do you want to keep playing?”

“Yes.” 

“JJ are you still my wild man?”

“Yes.” 

“JJ, do you want a hug?” 

“Yes.”

Embracing his tiny body with a little extra squeeze at the end, he regained all hope. I put his sword back in his hands, lifted him from the table, and set him safely with both feet back on the ground. Within seconds he was back to being my sword slinging two foot hopping beast man, flailing about the driveway.

That moment comes back to me so many times in life. All the times when I have been out doing it. Slaying it. All by myself. I was a wild woman, a powerful woman, a strong woman. And something would happen. I would make a mistake. I would fail. I would sin. I would fall. I would realize: I am not as strong as I think I am. When I have fallen, I have gotten back up again…eventually. But I realize that it was not by my own power. I was strong because someone else picked me up and lended me their power to hold me up. I am strong because people have looked at me with soft eyes instead of judgment and said, I am here for you. I am with you. I am strong because so many people have added strength and encouragement and comfort to my life. 

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Jesus has provided amazing hope in my life through other people and His word. He supplies promises and renewal because of the forgiveness of sins. He provides comfort and often allows others to lend me their strength. So I get back up again, I brandish my sword, and I live to fight another day.