People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

Mark 10:13-16

 

The disciples did not consider children worthy of Jesus’ time and tried to push them away. This made Jesus angry. He told them how children had value and – in fact – how they should try to emulate them. ”…anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Why does Jesus tell us we should be like children to enter the kingdom of God? Among other things, he wants us to come to him with the humility and trust a child has. To allow ourselves to be dependent on him in the way children are dependent, admitting that we could not make it to heaven without God’s grace and forgiveness.

I believe that most of us enjoy children. We may even feel like a child at times. Being childish – immature or inappropriate – is not so admirable. But childlike qualities have beauty that would be good to carry with us throughout our life. Children tend to be innocent and sincere. They’re eager to learn. They are humble, trusting, open, simple, and spontaneous. They are unpretentious.

I’d like to share the following delightful description of what it is to be a child. The writer is Todd Burpo, author of Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back

“What is childlike humility? It’s not the lack of intelligence, but the lack of guile. The lack of an agenda. It’s that precious, fleeting time before we have accumulated enough pride or position to care what other people might think. The same unselfconscious honesty that enables a three-year-old to splash joyfully in a rain puddle, or tumble laughing in the grass with a puppy, or point out loudly that you have a booger hanging out of your nose, is what is required to enter heaven. It is the opposite of ignorance—it is intellectual honesty: to be willing to accept reality and to call things what they are even when it is hard.”

You are a child of God. He loves you and wants to connect with you. This is what I hear him saying:

“Open your heart wide to receive the love I give you. Joyfully share that love with others. Wonder and be amazed at the world I have made. Be wholehearted in what you do. Take your Bible – my Word – and receive what it says as my message to you, eagerly accepting its truth. This is the childlike spirit I want to see in you.”

marja