Becoming Like Little Children

And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18: 3-4)

Debbie and I were talking about this verse the other night and I asked myself, I wonder what Jesus saw in little children that relates so closely to the kingdom of heaven? What are the characteristics of little children that we should model? After thinking about it for a few minutes, I started listing off characteristics of little children that I admire. Here they are:

 

They wake up every morning with a smile and forget about all the burdens of yesterday

They come back for more love, even when they have been disciplined
They run into your lap when you have been gone for any length of time
They will sit on your lap and let you read for hours to them
They see enjoyment in the simplest of things
They go to bed with peace
They wake up with peace
They receive gifts with the most amazing smile and even a gasp
They go on, even when the world is not fair to them
They trust without questioning

These are just a few of the characteristics I thought of; I’m sure there are many more. There are so many lessons we can learn from little children in relation to our Heavenly Father. Is this what Jesus saw in little children when he asked us to become like them? He thought it so important that He said we would not see the kingdom of heaven unless we became like little children. Don’t we let the world so consume us that there is no “childlike” left in us anymore? We are letting this world steal it away. I think we would fully experience God’s love for us if we really focused on these childlike characteristics. We would wake up every morning with a smile and we would enjoy every day in the quietness of just being with Jesus.

 

Amazed by His Love,

 

Terence