Like a Child

“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

Luke 18:17

 What does receiving the kingdom like a child look like?  Well children are not cynical.  They are trusting.  They rest in their Father’s arms.  They don’t worry about tomorrow, but enjoy each moment of each day.  Oh to see through the eyes of a child!  We were at Taco Bell yesterday.  Above this section of our town there are thousands of black birds that swarm the parking lots.  They are noisy and messy and most of us complain about them whenever we go there.  But a little girl, maybe five looked out the window of the restaurant and declares, “Look Mom,  It’s a bird wonderland!”  Oh to see life through the eyes of a child!

 To receive the kingdom of God like a child requires not only trust, but a dependency.  In our culture we worship independence.  In God’s economy, we must depend upon Him for everything.  The more we realize that all good things come for the Father and that He loves us and delights in us, we can relax and depend upon Him not only for provision and protection but for guidance.  He has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives and He is capable of getting our attention and leading us in His way.  A prominent teaching in the 1970’s was that God had a plan for your life and if you missed it then you had to settle for plan B.  I think that this was heresy.  God has a relationship with us.  He delights in our uniqueness and loves to see us make choices and plan and live life.  If He wants us for a specific task, He will let us know.  He called Abraham.  He called Moses.  Of all the great people in the Bible, none were on their knees agonizing over whether or not God would use them.  They walked with God daily and in the course of that relationship, they understood God’s heart and acted upon it.  No fear, just rest.