Jesus loved children too. When he sought an image to help us
understand what it meant to be truly
“religious,” he took a little child, stood her in front of his disciples
and said, “Except you become as a little child, you shall not enter the kingdom
of heaven.”
When we think of people who are religious, many imagine old
men with long gray beards, black capes and stooped shoulders. Some think of ascetic monks living in desert
regions, emaciated and starving, bleary eyed and anti-social. Others picture nuns robed in their habits
whispering prayers as they finger their rosaries. But when Jesus wanted to forge an image in
the mind of his followers, he chose a child. Why would he do this?
We can all speculate about the lesson he wanted to teach by
choosing a child. Jesus left the answer to that question up to us. Here
are a few characteristics that stand out to me when I think about children and
the reason he chose a child to illustrate the nature God looks for in Kingdom
people.
Children live in the moment.
They are not worried about the future.
They are not burdened with guilt about the past. Watch children playing
on a playground. They have little
awareness of time. They wear no watches.
Children become friends fast. Most children have not learned
to be hesitant and shy. They greet one
another as if they have already met.
“Want to play?” And the game is
on.
Children laugh. I love listening to children on the school
playground and in the park. Anywhere children gather, the air is filled with
laughter. It is their nature to laugh.
Children do not know prejudice. I’m not sure when we learn racial and
cultural prejudice, but young children have not learned this lesson. They readily accept each other as equals
regardless of skin color or clothing. If
they notice a difference between them, they do not hesitate to ask about
it. And, once the difference is
recognized and addressed, they move on.
Children trust. With
their father’s extended arms and a little encouragement they will fling their
bodies into open space fully confident they will be caught.
Children are awed by God’s creation. They are mesmerized by grasshoppers,
caterpillars, lizards, butterflies and flowers. They stop and take time to watch
an ant wrestle a crumb of bread across the ground. They notice the spots on a lady bug.
Children have great imaginations. Give a child a sandbox, a
stick, or a can and they will construct unbelievable creations. I watched
children recently playing in the sand.
They were digging a hole. When I
asked what it was, they looked at me with a puzzled look, as if I was the only
one who did not recognize the obvious.
They patiently explained that it was a grasshopper sanctuary.
This list isn’t complete. You can add others, I am sure. Somewhere within us all is buried the child
we once were. Perhaps if we could
re-connect with the child-like simplicity within us, we might take our first
steps toward becoming Kingdom citizens as Jesus described it.
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