"On Becoming as a Little Child"

He was exhausted, bone-weary, the clamor and crush of the crowds wearing. There was no question about His calling, His purpose, and yet there were times He longed for the solace and solitude of the shop, the place where chunks of wood were turned into creations of utility and beauty underneath His hands, before His eyes. That was where He had been taught, prepared for what was to come, where He visited with His Heavenly Father. It was a place of peace, of quiet. 

His physical body exuded strength, the muscles taut and sinewy, developed by wielding the primitive carpentry hand tools of His time. His spiritual body was fit as well, strong enough to face and withstand evil in its purest, rawest form.

The life of Jesus, the carpenter’s son, had changed dramatically, and He knew when it had happened: His baptism by John when the heavens opened, and the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove, followed by a voice declaring, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased"; the encounter with the enemy while in the desert for forty days; the first of many signs, when He went to a wedding with His mother and turned the water into wine.

Masses of people followed Him wherever He went, craving the teaching, bringing the sick to be healed, seeking deliverance from demons. While knowing He had been sent for mankind, the daily rigor and the relentless demands were tiring, the places of retreat minimal.

The children were a delight. They brought a smile to His face, made Him laugh, their purity and honesty evidenced. He loved watching them play, listening to their discussions and conversations. They weren’t there to test Him with religious or political questions; they didn’t ask Him to prove who He was or why He had come; they didn't bait Him with verbal traps. 

Parents began bringing their little ones to Him, asking that He bless them. The disciples who followed along beside Him expressed criticism, sending them away. He rebuked them saying, “Let the children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

Becoming as a child--Just exactly what does that mean? Children live in the moment. They know no political correctness, love openly, and gauge carefully and instinctively those they allow into their world. In succinct terms it means trusting with one's heart and not one's head. 

Consider the following perspective of a child--“I don’t understand why all people don’t just follow God. It’s just so easy." This is one who has taken to challenging others of the need to "just stay in your own box," her way of expressing that each of us should take care of our own lives and not be concerned about the lives of others, an admonition of great wisdom. At the ripe old age of 8, she is a living example of the very thing I am speaking of.  

While children have no comprehension or understanding of the meaning of the word trust, they are just that--trusting, their faith direct and simplistic. Although some may view this as naïve', lacking an intellectual approach, it is the ultimate representation of a child placing his/her trust in the care of a loving parent.  

The mind is the battlefield, where war is waged, and children are yet to be encumbered by the mental process of thought, doubt, contradiction. They simply believe. How difficult is that? Difficult for some, easy for others, but an important choice to be made with long-term ramifications. 

Consider the need to become as a child.

"...it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs." Matthew 19:14