As a Child

Jesus often mentions the children, welcoming them and saying that we should be like them.  We may have differing thoughts about what exactly this means and how we can apply it to ourselves.

The first thing that comes to my mind is how dependent children are on others to provide for them and take care of them.  In the western world we have turned our backs on child labour.  This is no longer acceptable for us, (although we seldom think of this when we seek ever cheaper products!) So we consider that being as children shows how dependent we are on Father to provide for and take care of us.  That can sometimes prove difficult as we like to feel that we are able to take care of ourselves and that having a work ethic means that we should indeed provide for ourselves.  It is when we run into difficulties that we turn to God for help; otherwise we can manage on our own, thank you very much.  That’s the warning that Jesus gives when he says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.  God is not just a trouble fixer, He is Father.

 

A child needs to learn through education and experience.  We have all been impressed by Malala Yousafzei, the Pakistani girl who was shot for writing about the rights of girls to have an education and the world listened intently to her words in front of the United Nations Assembly.  We also know that there are some things that books and learning in school cannot teach us.  Some lessons are learned by living.  I was impressed this week to watch a short video about the different reactions of some adults and children about a particular cereal advert.  You can watch it here.

I just pray that those children, as they grow into adults, may still keep those ideals and attitudes.  Sadly life shows that many of them will eventually conform to what previous generations have (erroneously) instilled into them.  It reminds me of the words of a song from the musical South Pacific:

You've got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You've got to be taught
From year to year,
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff'rent shade,
You've got to be carefully taught.

You've got to be taught before it's too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You've got to be carefully taught!

 

It seems a shame to me that some find it so hard to be like children in having a simple and open acceptance of others.

The third and last thing I want to mention is something I read this week. ‘Children do not believe theologies or strive for moral certitudes. They respond vulnerably and openly to what is offered them moment by moment.’  As we get older, logic and reasoning take over our thinking.  We need to have a set of rules and beliefs that we adhere to.  We have lost some of that ability to just sense God’s presence.  When Jesus says about children that of such is the Kingdom of God I think He is meaning that they don’t need to sign up to some theory or doctrine.  They don’t think about the long and sometimes convoluted explanations about where God is or how He is with us – they just sense His presence, they ‘know’ Him in a very pure and simple way.  We might call that innocence while Jesus says that actually it’s the very nature of God’s Kingdom.

 

So for me those words of being as a child means seeking God’s plan for my life and not striving to feel capable of doing it on my own; being dependent on Him for direction; trusting His direction and guidance even when I don’t understand it.  It means that even though I might study His word, there are many lessons that He wants to teach me that aren’t written down in any book; that I might learn from what goes on around me; that I might find wisdom and knowledge in unexpected places; accept that such learning is as important as any word from any book or anything I have been taught by others.  I want to be like the toddler that takes in and absorbs everything that is going on; so many new experiences.  I want to be in that place of knowing His presence without having to put it into words or find an explanation; I want to just ‘be’ with Him; to capture and enjoy the moment with innocent simplicity and eagerness to know Him more.  I just want to journey with God and be a child – His child.