To Be Child-Like

"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." Mark 9:37

"When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Mark 10:14

Children are truly the most precious gifts from God. Jesus made a name for himself in the New Testament by always seeking out the children, by allowing them to spend time with him. One of the things that I love about my children, and other children is their sense of wonder. Once upon a time I was a manager for an educational toy store, and it was always a treat to watch kids walk into the store for the first time. It was a good-sized store, and all toys and games, and every possible thing a child could play with. As they made their way through the store, you could just see the excitement and the joy as they touched and played and explored everything there was to explore. Even better though, were the adults who set aside their adult-ness for a time and got down on the floor and played with their kids. That Dad who threw dignity aside and plopped right in the middle of the carpet and drove cars and trucks with his son. Or that Mom who ran to the back of the store to meet Angelina Ballerina and give her a hug. Shoot, that was one of the benefits of working at the toy store- we had permission to play with anything at anytime. We all had yo-yo's in our pockets, and during down times we could frequently be caught working on a few tricks.

The Disney corporation makes a big promotional campaign about how adults at their theme parks become like children again for a time while they are there. And how true that is! When we were at Disney, we so enjoyed the time meeting princesses and riding rides and exploring Mickey Mouse's house. It was a wonderland, designed for the whole family to enjoy. We talk often about going back soon to explore again with our growing children.

But how much more is Heaven going to be. :-) It's going to be so much more wonderful than even Walt Disney could have imagined. And when we are in Heaven we will all be as children.

So maybe we need to take a little more time to spend with children. Their excitement and wonder is contagious, and it's also interesting to note that in my son's mind, God can and will do anything and everything. Yet as adults, we lose that. We lose that faith that God can and will do anything and everything. We worry about asking praying with the right words, or worry about asking in just the right way. I think it's about time we started thinking more like a child. Go to our Heavenly Father with that sense of wonder, that sense of joy, and ask our petitions, knowing full well that he will grant us that which makes our hearts happy.

"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" Matthew 7:9-11