Like A Child

6/22/2010 - Like a Child

“He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:2-3 ESV

We grow up so fast. One day we are running around our neighborhood making up games and playing with our toys and the next thing you know we are refinancing mortgages and discussing healthcare reform. Where does the time go? Somewhere in between, we make decisions not to be little kids anymore. Somewhere along this path we decide that the responsibilities of adulthood are so great that we should forsake our inner child in the name of maturity. And yet to enter the kingdom of heaven, Jesus says that we must become like a child. He says that will not have difficulty or challenges entering, but NEVER will we enter unless we become childlike.

What does it mean to become childlike in our faith? How does a mature Christian become childlike? Isn’t that going backwards? On the contrary. Jesus says that in order to enter the kingdom we must become childlike. He did not say we had to stay there. The entrance into the kingdom of God is the beginning. After you have entered, you will continue on your journey. But you have to get there first.

The kingdom of heaven is the reign of God. When we submit ourselves to His reign and do not act as antagonists in the story of this world, we must first humble ourselves and become like children. When we think of children, we think of little people who have their whole life ahead of them. Who run and play and have enormous amounts of energy. They see the world in simple ways. They cling to their caretakers. They are living sponges, soaking up everything they can. The use their imaginations and nothing seems impossible. The are not afraid to dream. Children love without question. The are friendly. They have the ability to express their emotions. They are the key to entering the kingdom.

A child doesn’t have the same regrets of an adult. They don’t have the life experience to point to and say, “Wow, I really messed that one up!” They make mistakes, but their mistakes don’t hinder them for moving forward. They receive correction and keep it moving. It is when their life experience starts to mount up that they begin to lose that innocence. They start to receive correction as a reminder of their faults and reasons why they should be punished. They start to reason their way out of things they would have normally pursued with passion. They start to question the authority figures around them. They begin to create their own rules for living in this world. They become like adults.

In order to enter the kingdom, we must first begin by being as humble as a child. We must take what God says and believe it. We must be open to His correction and not allow it to hinder our progress. We must not shy away from loving others. We must be free to dream again. We must express ourselves. We must become playful again. We must not allow our past mistakes and conclusions to hinder our new experiences. We must become like children to enter and allow God to mature us in His kingdom, His way. Our past successes and failures will mean little unless we let go of it all and enter into His kingdom to be reshaped and matured in Him.