Becoming like a child
“Unless you are
converted and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven”.
Mat. 18:3
Children are as precious to God as sparrows,
lilies and hairs. They have QUALITIES which God wants us to have. The following
is general only:
1. Transparency. This means freedom
from duplicity, craftiness, deceit, double-dealing, and hypocrisy. Children are
easy to 'read', that is, they wear their thoughts on their faces. They are not
clever or sophisticated enough to hide their motives or plans. A good parent
has look at his or her child's face and tell
immediately if the child is being honest or not.
2. Teachability. This means being trustful, genuine,
sincere, and ready to believe the truth. Children are open to the truth. They
tend to believe everything an adult tells them, because they don't know any
better. God wants us to be open to what He says, without questioning or criticising.
3. Humility. Children are
pliable. They can be knocked back, forgive, and carry on very quickly. They are
friendly, and willing to obey, in order to please someone they love.
4.
Children have many wonderful qualities, which, if they were all expressed here,
would fill several pages. As Wordsworth noted, children come into this world
"trailing clouds of glory". They bring, in their earliest years, the
innocence and purity of their Creator, which is quickly marred and spoiled as
they grow up. The child is the nearest thing we have as a representation of
God, perhaps up to age five. But the sinful nature, which comes with every
child, pulls their soul away from what is right, and draws them into what is
wrong, encouraging them to feed on ignoble and immoral things . . . the
innocence of the child is smothered, and the adult emerges, brain-washed by the
mind-set, peer pressure and lifestyle of the world.
But God wants to wash away all the dirt of this world, and restore the
image of the child in us. Christians do not need to commit intellectual suicide
to be like children. It is the QUALITIES of childhood which God wants us to
have. Innocence, love, joy, freedom, peace, living one day at
a time, not worrying about bills or the future, resting in the security of
God's arms.
Was Jesus like a
child? In every way yes, though he was also the perfect example of a mature