In this season of life, I’ve been thinking more and more about children. Particularly, my daughter. What will her personality be like? Who will she look like? What will she enjoy doing?
I remember reading a quote that says, “While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” ― Angela Schwindt
Perhaps I will soon experience this quote in a tangible way and know what it really means. Until then, I’m reminded of how Jesus used a child to teach us about life. Particularly, the question as to, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Posed by the disciples.
The scripture says:
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Matthew 18:1-5 (NIV)
Jesus tells us to change and become like little children if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus refers to the change being one of humility, taking on a “lowly position”. It appears that children were seen as having low status and not having much significance or value. Perhaps even seen as a nuisance at times as mentioned in Matthew 19:13-15.
Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.
Surely we are not like the disciples who think about being the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? But if we’re being honest, I’m sure we’ve had thoughts about being counted as one of the greatest either here on earth or in heaven.
Either way, when I read the scriptures in Matthew 18:1-5, I’m reminded of the importance of being like a child.
Jesus referred to humility as a quality suitable for a child and an adult alike. I’d like to suggest to you 3 qualities that many children possess that are also suitable for us as adults.
- Curiosity – Children are naturally curious about the world.
- Excitement – Children genuinely get excited about things and freely express them.
- Faith/Trust – Based on the caregiver relationship, a strong sense of trust and confidence in someone to provide for them is established early on in life.
As an Adult:
- Curiosity – As an Adult we can be curious about who God is and what He can do in our lives as well as through others. This increases our faith in the endless possibilities of our Father.
- Excitement – As adults we can get excited about what God is going to do in our lives and through others by faith. This gets expressed in our testimonies of how good God is.
- Faith/Trust – As we put our faith and trust in God, we can walk with a strong confidence knowing that God will provide.
In this season of increasing our faith, perhaps God is asking us to get curious about who He is and and excited about what He can do. Maybe as we put our trust in the Lord and have faith in Him, we can walk with a sense of confidence that He will provide for us, no matter the situation we are in.
Father, I pray that you would continue to Increase our Faith. May we be more like children in our humility with others and you, God. Help us to develop curiosity, excitement and trust in you. Continue to lead us in your ways. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen!