God's Kid
And he said, “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
A devotional message that I read this morning used the analogy of walking with a small child to define our walk with Jesus. The point was that it is not just for the child’s protection that we stay near or hold hands but also for our joy in the nearness of the child. My first thought was of my grandchildren. Just last night I sat with five of them reading stories. They love books, just like their Grammy. It was a lovely and precious time for me as well as for them. I understood the analogy of the message quite well. Then the lights came on inside my foggy brain. God sees us the way I see my babies!
Think about that for a minute. What is your profession? Teacher? Lawyer? Chef? Musician? Doctor? Mom? Dad? Or maybe even, pause for the moment of reverence, pastor? Guess what? God sees us all like small children. Follow the analogy, we are to a toddler as God is to us. Now think with the mind of a young child. For one thing we are physically bigger. Then there is the whole misconception that all children hold that adults can do whatever they want. We set their rules but to them no one tells us what to do. Yes, it is laughable but they believe it.
Now, think about God. Although I have no idea what God physically looks like I perceive Him as big, really, really big, huge even. And who do you think could possibly tell God what to do? Granted we all try to tell Him what to do, how to do it, when to do it but that’s pretty laughable too.
The best part of the analogy suggests that the relationship between the adult and the child offers protection for the child. I know I feel very protective of my grands. Just watching their parents make typical parenting boo-boos makes me want to step in and help. I want to convey to those parents that this precious time lasts about thirty seconds. The job feels enormous because it is but at some point most children become adults with the accompanying mistakes and foibles.
At first I was a little taken back at the idea of God seeing me as helpless and small, the way I see my grands. Then I realized that I could not possibly love those babies more than I do. I want the best for them. I want to wrap them in cotton and protect them from everything, even more so than I did with their parents because I am not responsible to raise them. I don’t have to allow them to learn from their mistakes. It isn’t my job to see that they become responsible. All I have to do is offer unconditional Grammy love.
God gives us every opportunity to grow and mature but He calls us to faith like a child because to Him we will always be small, needy, children. Considering that the meaning behind that is that His huge strong hands are always available to rescue me, I like that!
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
A devotional message that I read this morning used the analogy of walking with a small child to define our walk with Jesus. The point was that it is not just for the child’s protection that we stay near or hold hands but also for our joy in the nearness of the child. My first thought was of my grandchildren. Just last night I sat with five of them reading stories. They love books, just like their Grammy. It was a lovely and precious time for me as well as for them. I understood the analogy of the message quite well. Then the lights came on inside my foggy brain. God sees us the way I see my babies!
Think about that for a minute. What is your profession? Teacher? Lawyer? Chef? Musician? Doctor? Mom? Dad? Or maybe even, pause for the moment of reverence, pastor? Guess what? God sees us all like small children. Follow the analogy, we are to a toddler as God is to us. Now think with the mind of a young child. For one thing we are physically bigger. Then there is the whole misconception that all children hold that adults can do whatever they want. We set their rules but to them no one tells us what to do. Yes, it is laughable but they believe it.
Now, think about God. Although I have no idea what God physically looks like I perceive Him as big, really, really big, huge even. And who do you think could possibly tell God what to do? Granted we all try to tell Him what to do, how to do it, when to do it but that’s pretty laughable too.
The best part of the analogy suggests that the relationship between the adult and the child offers protection for the child. I know I feel very protective of my grands. Just watching their parents make typical parenting boo-boos makes me want to step in and help. I want to convey to those parents that this precious time lasts about thirty seconds. The job feels enormous because it is but at some point most children become adults with the accompanying mistakes and foibles.
At first I was a little taken back at the idea of God seeing me as helpless and small, the way I see my grands. Then I realized that I could not possibly love those babies more than I do. I want the best for them. I want to wrap them in cotton and protect them from everything, even more so than I did with their parents because I am not responsible to raise them. I don’t have to allow them to learn from their mistakes. It isn’t my job to see that they become responsible. All I have to do is offer unconditional Grammy love.
God gives us every opportunity to grow and mature but He calls us to faith like a child because to Him we will always be small, needy, children. Considering that the meaning behind that is that His huge strong hands are always available to rescue me, I like that!
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