What does the Bible mean when it records Jesus telling us that to receive the Kingdom of God we must be like "little children"?
For that matter, where does this idea that we're to exhibit a "childlike faith" in all things come from? What is the message that we're supposed to understand and apply to our lives?
Before attempting to answer that question, I want to share a quaint little story with all of you that just brought a smile to my face yesterday. It demonstrates that you just never know when a random, seemingly insignificant moment will pop up out of nowhere to remind you of the enormous gift we have in the salvation provided to us by Jesus Christ.
Yesterday, my sweet daughter Amelia (who is 3.5 years old) screams from the toy room where she was playing where her brother Luke (who is 4.5 years old), "I found Jesus!!!"
As a parent, my mind naturally took me to some unknown place and time in the future (hopefully, the near future) when I will hear those words from her and she'll be making the biggest decision of her life, but speaking figuratively as opposed to literally.
Why do I say that she was speaking literally yesterday? Because she comes running out of the toy room, as fast as those short little legs could carry her, and makes her way over to where I was sitting and working to show me that, yes, she had, in fact, found Jesus -- the miniature Jesus figurine that her Nana Gwen had bought for her awhile back! How cute is that?
After a a hug, a kiss, and a laugh I just sat there for a moment and marveled at the beautiful mystery contained in that innocent, simple moment. Soon, my heart broke for those adults who would go through an entire lifetime and never end up uttering those same words with the same excitement and enthusiasm as my little girl just did. It's the kind of thing that makes you want to ramp up your efforts for evangelizing to the lost.
Soon after, I also starting thinking about those verses that tell us we are to receive the Kingdom of God as little children. Ironically, I produced a broadcast on THIS VERY SAME SUBJECT for Kingdom Bound Radio just a few weeks ago that you can download and listen to here if you'd like. Anyway, I thought back to that Bible study and how I just witnessed everything I had read in God's Word on this subject on full display in this brief, 30-second episode thanks to Amelia.
However, little did I know that that's not where this story ends. A few hours had gone by and it was time to make the kids their lunch. As per my usual routine, I got them together and told them I would help them pick up the mess they had made all morning, and that we needed to put their toys back where they belonged before we could eat.
You can imagine my complete and utter amazement when I picked up Luke's toy ambulance and saw the Jesus figurine sitting in the driver's seat! The symbolism certainly wasn't lost on me. Jesus Christ heals and saves! He heals and saves indeed!
I doubt that Amelia in her young age knew to connect the ambulance with the Jesus figurine on purpose as some sort of brilliant commentary on what makes Christianity and Jesus Christ unique compared to each and every other religion out there.
Then again, as a father tasked with raising godly children, I can only pray that I am mistaken and that somehow, on some level, she was moved to place the two toys together like that on purpose. Why? Because it just made sense; it just seemed right to her. Lord, I pray that you will "seem right to her" when she is older and making many more decisions on her own; many of which I may not be there to help her make.
I can only pray that our moments talking about Jesus, and who He is, where He is, and what He does -- no matter how quick they might be in response to a child's short attention span (i.e. during breakfast, lunch, or dinner; when getting them a snack; while helping them brush their teeth; when giving them a bath; when explaining to them why we need to pray for people who we saw get hurt; etc.) -- are having a positive effect, and that's why she thought to do that.
At the end of the day, I'm reminded of how grateful I am to have been blessed with 2 beautiful children. I'm incredibly thankful that the Lord has entrusted them to my care even if it's a responsibility that I sometimes feel unworthy of.
But I will have no fear! I will rely on my Heavenly Father and His Word to guide me in the way He expects me to raise my children. I will rest on the truth.
Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
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For that matter, where does this idea that we're to exhibit a "childlike faith" in all things come from? What is the message that we're supposed to understand and apply to our lives?
Before attempting to answer that question, I want to share a quaint little story with all of you that just brought a smile to my face yesterday. It demonstrates that you just never know when a random, seemingly insignificant moment will pop up out of nowhere to remind you of the enormous gift we have in the salvation provided to us by Jesus Christ.
Yesterday, my sweet daughter Amelia (who is 3.5 years old) screams from the toy room where she was playing where her brother Luke (who is 4.5 years old), "I found Jesus!!!"
As a parent, my mind naturally took me to some unknown place and time in the future (hopefully, the near future) when I will hear those words from her and she'll be making the biggest decision of her life, but speaking figuratively as opposed to literally.
Why do I say that she was speaking literally yesterday? Because she comes running out of the toy room, as fast as those short little legs could carry her, and makes her way over to where I was sitting and working to show me that, yes, she had, in fact, found Jesus -- the miniature Jesus figurine that her Nana Gwen had bought for her awhile back! How cute is that?
After a a hug, a kiss, and a laugh I just sat there for a moment and marveled at the beautiful mystery contained in that innocent, simple moment. Soon, my heart broke for those adults who would go through an entire lifetime and never end up uttering those same words with the same excitement and enthusiasm as my little girl just did. It's the kind of thing that makes you want to ramp up your efforts for evangelizing to the lost.
Soon after, I also starting thinking about those verses that tell us we are to receive the Kingdom of God as little children. Ironically, I produced a broadcast on THIS VERY SAME SUBJECT for Kingdom Bound Radio just a few weeks ago that you can download and listen to here if you'd like. Anyway, I thought back to that Bible study and how I just witnessed everything I had read in God's Word on this subject on full display in this brief, 30-second episode thanks to Amelia.
However, little did I know that that's not where this story ends. A few hours had gone by and it was time to make the kids their lunch. As per my usual routine, I got them together and told them I would help them pick up the mess they had made all morning, and that we needed to put their toys back where they belonged before we could eat.
You can imagine my complete and utter amazement when I picked up Luke's toy ambulance and saw the Jesus figurine sitting in the driver's seat! The symbolism certainly wasn't lost on me. Jesus Christ heals and saves! He heals and saves indeed!
I doubt that Amelia in her young age knew to connect the ambulance with the Jesus figurine on purpose as some sort of brilliant commentary on what makes Christianity and Jesus Christ unique compared to each and every other religion out there.
Then again, as a father tasked with raising godly children, I can only pray that I am mistaken and that somehow, on some level, she was moved to place the two toys together like that on purpose. Why? Because it just made sense; it just seemed right to her. Lord, I pray that you will "seem right to her" when she is older and making many more decisions on her own; many of which I may not be there to help her make.
I can only pray that our moments talking about Jesus, and who He is, where He is, and what He does -- no matter how quick they might be in response to a child's short attention span (i.e. during breakfast, lunch, or dinner; when getting them a snack; while helping them brush their teeth; when giving them a bath; when explaining to them why we need to pray for people who we saw get hurt; etc.) -- are having a positive effect, and that's why she thought to do that.
At the end of the day, I'm reminded of how grateful I am to have been blessed with 2 beautiful children. I'm incredibly thankful that the Lord has entrusted them to my care even if it's a responsibility that I sometimes feel unworthy of.
But I will have no fear! I will rely on my Heavenly Father and His Word to guide me in the way He expects me to raise my children. I will rest on the truth.
Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
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