“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
As we strive to accept the people we are designed to become, we can become confused and overwhelmed. The teachings of the Bible are not simple, they are complex as the human to God relationship is life changing. Jesus himself greatly reduced this complexity when he spoke of receiving God "like a child."
Anyone who has children can appreciate the innocent and honest way that they approach the world. When I explain a fact to my son or daughter, they accept that fact and operate their lives having accepted said fact. We tell them not to touch something hot and they don't. We tell them to wash their hands and they do. Our children look to us for guidance and life-giving wisdom. Our relationship is powerful, and made effective due to my kids' nature of acceptance and deferment to their parents.
Last Sunday in Sunday School, my son painted the following picture. He wanted to depict himself in Heaven with God. He painted green nature, blue water, and attempted to spell, "Heaven is Awesome."
Heaven is awesome. My son accepts the eternal, sees his wonderful future of being with God, and sees the bounty of what God has made and how he will have this bounty in Heaven.
I just stared at this picture in amazement. Do I let my own life become overrun with details? Do I yearn for closeness with God in a childlike way? Or, do I fall victim to adult human tendencies to focus on my actions, my earthly life, and my day to day slog? Do I give over absolute control and reliance on God, like a child with his parents?
If I were to draw the same picture, would it be as elegant, simple, and beautiful as the one drawn by my son?
Accepting and becoming more like what God designed us to become takes a reliance on the Holy Spirit for help...we just cannot get there on our own. As we pray for understanding, we need to pray for a childlike acceptance, a childlike reliance, and a childlike focus on God. Let's all pray that our focus does not get cluttered. Let's pray that we give up the adult human tendencies to explain and know everything, and embrace a childlike acceptance of the supernatural.