Words from the Rock
I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3–4 NIV
Who would have thought that a statement about little kids could be one of Jesus’s most powerful and memorable teachings? Yet it is. Perhaps the impact comes from the fact that most people (both then and now) tend to think kids are rather insignificant and sometimes downright inconvenient. They can be noisy and obnoxious, yet they’re easy to brush off, send to bed, push around. . . . After all, they’re just kids.
But that’s not how Jesus sees them. When he looks at little children, he sees complete human beings. Unlike their adult counterparts, these little people have yet to become jaded or cynical or apathetic or hopeless or prideful. Children are still young enough to be full of life and joy and faith and passion—the kinds of qualities Jesus wishes everyone could have.
Best of all, these children want to embrace Jesus. It’s as if they instinctively know who he is and why he’s so special. They can’t wait to get close to him. In fact, that’s why the disciples have been herding the kids away—so they won’t “disturb” Jesus’s teaching. But Jesus sees the little children as a great teaching tool for the grown-ups in the crowd. He tells his listeners to imitate them. He wants all of us to embrace his love and his gifts with eager, childlike enthusiasm.
My Prayer
Dear God,
Please help me to have a childlike heart so I’m eager and passionate when it comes to loving you.
Amen.
Final Word
Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.
Matthew 18:10 NLT
Stone for the Journey
I will stay childlike in my love for God.