“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’”Matthew 18:1-3
I sit here writing this with a bowl of cut up strawberries smothered in sugar and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle cup full of iced coffee. But- have no fears- I am an adult! I don’t know why this theme has been sticking out to me lately… but it really has. It may be because school is out for the summer here and I am seeing kids everywhere. Or maybe it’s the trips to Svalyava, or the kids running around in church. I just admire them. I admire their willingness to be adventurous, their curiosity, their imagination, innocence, honesty, and their ability to love everyone with no stigmas attached.
I think one of my favorite things that I have observed, mostly in church, is when a child walks away from their parent so freely- exploring what is around, confidently playing with other children, but then looks back to make sure their parent(s) are still there or they go back to “check in” with them. They feel safe because they know their parents are there so they are a little more willing to be adventurous.
Or at the orphanage- the kids will run around, climb on things that I would have been hesitant to climb on when I was their age, they will pick up bugs, push the boundaries on where they should be playing, and just let their curiosity run wild. Now part of this could be behavioral things, but still- they aren’t scared to go and do something new and they don’t have parents there that they go back and check in with. I absolutely love when the kids come out of the building to play with us and they just run up to someone, grab their hand, and go to play. They don’t ask our names, where we are from, our economic status, how old we are, or judge you on your skin color, they just want to play.
So at what age do our curiosity, exploration, carefree attitude disappear? At what age to we become too independent to need a mother or a father, a role model? When do we shy away from exploring new things because we get so caught up in our adult life and easy comfortable way of doing things? I don’t know the answer to that and I am sure that it differs for everyone. But never before have I been so consumed with this idea of becoming like a child to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and for me- it is starting to make so much sense.
Jesus says,
“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:4, ESV).
As adults we may become so consumed with “adult” things. Paying bills, promotions at work, cooking, cleaning. We get into routines, try to be the best at what we do. Do we find ourselves being humble? I can’t answer that for anyone but myself. But if I close my eyes and picture an adult and a child, I am most likely going to say that the child is more humble. So why is it so hard for adults to become like children, what makes us not want to do it? We would lose our independence? Lose our routine? But what do we gain? We gain looking at our Heavenly Father as our Father and being able to openly run to Him, like a child. We gain our independence and confidence in the plans that God has for us instead of our own. We gain our innocence back from this world. Just like a child who hasn’t yet been tainted by things of the world.
In church recently, someone came up to do a short devotional before the offering. She told a quick story that many of us could probably relate to. She said, one day there was this girl who came home from school and told her mother about this huge project that needed to get done for the next day. There were many elements that needed to be completed and no way that this girl was going to be able to complete it before school the next day, so she begged her mom to help her. The mother then helped as much as she could before the girl went to bed and then stayed up all night to complete this project for her daughter. The woman in church then read Psalm 55:22, “Cast your burden on the Lord…” Then she said, “God wants us to cast our burdens on Him, just like a child passes them on to their parents. He wants us to go from being independent to being dependent on Him.”
So what about being adults that become like children? Not in a sense of acting childish and immature, but acting with confidence in who our Father is. Being able and willing to go where He tells us, do what He tells us, just like a child would listen to their father or mother. Let’s lose the things that make us cold, harsh, boring adults, and let us become like children. I know there might be a few temper-tantrums thrown in- I’ve had my fair share with God- but are you willing to become humble like a child? Are you willing to call upon our amazing God as your Father and run to Him when you stumble and fall, just as a child runs to their parents when they fall down and get hurt? That’s what God wants. He wants to be your Father. He wants you to let your “adult responsibilities” go and be His child.
I was asked one of my favorite questions today. “Why Ukraine?” meaning- why in all of the places in the world did you come to Ukraine? Well- it is simple. My Father told me to go, so I listened and went. (I didn’t want to get grounded) =] And when I go exploring- I am confident that my God is right there watching me and guiding me.
For now- I don’t mind being a child trapped inside and “adult body.” I understand that life comes with responsibilities and you do have to act like an adult. But, when it comes to my Heavenly Father- I will strive to be just like a child to Him, so that I can one day enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Plus- sugar coated strawberries and Ninja Turtle cups make life more fun!
In Christ,
– Julie