“DO Be a Child”
One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.
But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop
them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these
children.” And he placed his hands on
their heads and blessed them before he left. Matthew 19:13-15
I love spending time with children. For more than a year, me daughter’s roommate
fostered a 1-yr-old named Bella. Bella
lived with them from the time she was just weeks old. Because of this, our family has gotten to
spend lots of time with Bella, long story short, she stole my heart.
Jesus says we should be like Bella. I often wonder what specific qualities of
children he was talking about but he never says anything more than “the kingdom
belongs to those who are like these.”
The Apostle Paul says, “when I grew up, I put away childish things.” I’m
not sure what he meant by that other than he realizes that growing up tends to
change things. I think Jesus is saying
there are some ways in which we change that are not for the better. Bella is
helping me see some of those this morning.
She never doubts that she is loved. She doesn’t disqualify herself because she’s
not good enough. She is not ruled by
fear. She doesn’t obsess over
mistakes. She lives fully in the present
– not in regret about the past or fear about the future. She likes to
play. She tries new things almost every
day, but she doesn’t seem overly concerned about things she can’t do. You get the idea. You could probably add to
the list.
From my perspective, I can read the above description and
scoff. “Bella is that way because she doesn’t know what I know or have my
responsibilities.” And I’d be right
about that. To be sure, to be how Bella
is in the world is harder and harder as we “put away childish things.“ However, I believe that is precisely why
Jesus reminds us that it is necessary. We tend to lose some of the most
important kingdom-like things as we grow up. Jesus is asking us to fight that
tendency.
Choose to believe that you are ALWAYS loved no matter
what. Believe in what is possible. Don’t disqualify yourself. Move pass your mistakes because God has. Live
in love, not fear. Live in the
present. Play. Try new things, even
things you think you might not be good at.
Again, you could add to the list. Be childlike in a good way.
Question: What are
other ways that children show us how to live?
Prayer: Father God,
help us be childlike in kingdom-owning ways. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray
for the children you know.
Song: Childlike Faith (Cover) Original Artist was Larnelle
Harris
