Come Like A Child
April 18, 2018·Deborah Clark
In this week’s Pause reading, there are two times in Matthew that Jesus refers to the children.
In Matthew 18, when asked who is the greatest in the kingdom, Jesus responds by saying, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” He goes on to say, “whoever takes the lowly position of a child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Then in Matthew 19, the disciples try to get the kids to leave Jesus alone, but He responds by saying, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
It got me thinking how much we can learn from the little ones in our life. There are many traits of children that we can admire – their playfulness, their simple trust, their blatant honesty (even when it embarrasses their parents!), their carefree laughter, and uninhibited dancing and silliness – all things that I think we could use a little more of sometimes.
Come like a child…we don’t have to be perfect before we come to Jesus. Something I am very thankful for, seeing as my imperfection would keep me from ever being able to get to Jesus. But He calls us to come, as children. Like a child who will run into their daddy’s arms when he returns home. Like a child who gets hurt and runs to mom for a kiss and a Band-Aid. No need to clean up the mess first. As a child, we can run into the arms of Jesus and know that He will greet us with open arms, even if we have snot running down our face or a giant gash on our knee. There is much freedom in knowing that we can truly come as we are.
Think about the children you know…I know some amazing children (including my own!), and they all have something in common when they start out – sheer dependence on someone other than themselves. Babies can’t feed themselves and are dependent on their caregivers for life.
As my children grew, one of my favorite things was watching them eat. It sounds odd, but truly, it would fascinate me to watch them pick up a cracker or a piece of fruit and put it in their mouth, chewing and swallowing. At first, I couldn’t figure out why this was such a delight to me. But then, one day, I realized – they don’t need me to feed them anymore. Something they were so dependent upon me for is now a skill they are mastering. Sure, when they first started, they’d miss their mouth sometimes. There were spills and crumbs and messes to deal with. But they no longer needed me to spoon-feed them every bite. Watching them eat was a great reminder of their development and the start of many milestones they will reach during their lives.
But, as they grew in this skill, I realized that while they are mastering the art of eating, I still supply the food. I’m the one shopping and stocking the refrigerator and the pantry. And it reminds me of this: Regardless of how much I mature in the Lord, how much I grow and learn to feed myself, I am still utterly dependent upon God for everything.
When Jesus tells us to become like little children, while there are a number of areas this could be attributed to, I am most reminded of my dependence on Him. Everything I need – every breath, every bite, every everything – comes from Him. In my childlikeness, I am completely dependent on God. Now, as my children grow up, they are able to do more for themselves. And, as I grow in my faith, I can do more as I mature…but no level of maturity changes the dependence I have on God.
I think this is a good reminder for us to come as children into Jesus’ open arms, knowing that He loves and accepts us as we are, and that regardless of how little or how long we have done life with Him, we are completely dependent upon Him for life and breath, for everything.
In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).
In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind (Job 12:10).
Pastor Deborah Clark
