"And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me'".
Matthew 18:3-5
And as I was attempting to fall asleep I determined that the child must have been very little indeed. Because as a nanny I work with kids who are many different ages and I think the specification of little is necessary in this case.
I mean, say perhaps it was a child of ten. I feel like I am often a child when it comes to my faith, but I often think I am more a child of ten. Ten is the age when kids begin to pull away from their parents. They desire more freedom to make their own choices and they aspire to become individuals, completely apart from the parents who raised them. But when they grow sick, or get hurt by the cruelties of reality they run back into (typically) their mother's arms.
At ten parents are there to protect you from your nightmares. But at ten a child is not dependent on their parents for everything.
Instead, I think this passage calls for us to become as toddlers, who are just finding our feet. We still depend on our Father to protect us, but we also rely on Him to feed and bathe us. While we have some independence we are never out of the watchful eye of our concerned parent, who will allow us to scrap our knees or bump our head in order for us to learn to be more cautious, yet one who is at the ready to stop us from playing near the fireplace or pool.
As a toddler we still are free to make our own decisions, but we also depend on our parents for EVERYTHING, trusting them fully to love and care for us in the way only parents are able.
So instead of being the ten year old who rolls their eyes at their parent's advice, why don't we age backwards and rely on Him fully once more?
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