BAY CITY, MI -- With symptoms like, "chronic dullness, mild depression, super high stress levels, a general fear of change and, in extreme cases, an inability to smile," Jason Kotecki, a Catholic cartoonist and speaker, said we could be in danger of missing out on the kingdom of heaven.
Speaking to about 200 people at St. Mary of the Assumption Church on Wednesday, May 3, Kotecki said Jesus told the apostles not to send the children away from him. "No, let these children come to me, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these, and unless you become like children you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven."
But most people, once they leave childhood and enter adulthood lose their sense of playfulness, he said. "When we don't play our stress levels go up - and of all the things that kill us - stress has been linked to all of them.
"Kids flock to Jesus because kids flock to people who don't have adultitis," Kotecki said, adding, "Jesus invented wedgies, and wet willies and nuggies."
Kotecki, whose mission is to encourage adults to re-kindle their childhood, said he also wanted to changed the way people perceive God.
"Jesus came and gave us a God who is our dad - Abba," he said. "He loves us so much he gave us Jesus."
And, as that "dad," Kotecki said we should hold God's hand as we would hold the hand of our parents and let Him lead us to heaven.
"When we hold our parent's hand it's always safe," he said. "We get to enjoy the scenery and we always end up where we're supposed to be.
"It is that God, who also has a sense of humor, that calls everyone to have a child-like faith," said Kotecki.
"God is funny," Kotecki said, and children see that humor, laughting an average of 450 times a day. Adults on the other hand, laugh an average of only 15 times a day, he said. "And some, sadly enough, only average 15 times in a lifetime."
Kotecki, a native of Madison, Wis., draws a cartoon with child characters named after him and his wife of six years, Kim. Using quips and humorous anecdotes, Kotecki tried to give the audience some ideas of how they could regain that childlike laughter and get back on the road toward the kingdom of heaven.
His program, which was also a promotion of his book "Escaping Adulthood," gave the audience ways to shake off the symptoms of stress and "adultitis" and find some of the childlike faith God calls everyone to.
Among the steps in the regression is to dream big. "We all know kids dream big," he said, putting up a slide of two older gentlemen and explaining. "Orville and Wilbur Wright dreamed big, but did they dream big enough to know that we would ever go to the moon?"
Kotecki, who said at an early age he knew he would be a superhero, asked the audience to remember what they wanted to be when they grew up.
"Whatever you thought you wanted to be when you were a little kid is an indication of what you are supposed to be doing right now," he said.
Taking the time to stop and look for the "prizes" God has hidden for us is another way Kotecki said adults can regain their childhood.
"God has all these amazing wonderful, cool prizes hidden," he said," and we get so busy we just shoot right by them."
©2006 Catholic Weekly
