"...and a little child shall lead them. "

This passage from Isaiah, and repeated in the Book of Mormon, has always been one of my favorites:
 Isa. 11: 6

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     6 The ^awolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.

I've always had this beautiful image of complete peace, even down to the little creatures and beasts of the earth, led by a child. The picture in my head was always more literal: A child with a crook in her hand, leading this little parade. However, the longer I'm a mother, the more depth I see in this verse.

My children teach me and lead me so much. They see the world and their own possibilities through a completely different filter than I do. Their view is not tainted by years of disappointment, embarrassment, and failure that lead to insecurity and fear. To a child the sky is the limit. There's an ad on TV that I love, because it so accurately captures my 5-year-old's way of dancing through life, and contrastingly the way we allow our capacity to dream to be squashed as the years go by:

AT&T "Imagination"

I was in the kitchen a little while ago making dinner and running to the laundry room now and then to manage loads there. My 5-year-old burst into the house in her own exuberant way and exclaimed, "MOM! I was out there practicing on my 2-wheeler, and I almost got it twice!" I said, "Really? I bet you'll have it pretty soon!" She replied, "I KNOW I will! Wanna know why? Because I'm really good at practicing!"

How's that for being led by a child? Do you think she kept track of how many times she tried and didn't even "almost" make it? What a beautiful perspective. I don't fall. I don't fail. I'm really good at practicing!