Become like little children

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
2He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5"And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. 6But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Why would Jesus want us to become like little children? It could be that children are a great example of what humility is about. Children are simple,trusting, lowly, loving, and forgiving, . Children are not complicated. Their thoughts are honest, their motives are pure.
Children are completely trusting of their parents. If they need anything, a shoulder to sleep on, a diaper changed, milk or food, a hand to help them walk, arms to crawl into, they turn to their mommy or daddy with wide eyes, open arms, and complete trust. Obstacles may be in the way, but as long as they’re holding onto the hand of a parent, they are totally confident that they will make it.
Children love discovering and learning! They have no problem saying "help me" or "teach me" or "love me". They point to everything wanting to know what it means, wanting to touch it, and to experience it for themselves. In complete humility, they are open to whatever their parent is telling them.
Children live in the present moment. They are not making elaborate plans for the future. They do not have lofty expectations. Their desires are simple and now! They accept that sometimes the answer is "no". Little children live in a state of wonder and joy. They look forward to a new day when they wake up in the morning.

Isn’t this how we need to be with our Heavenly Parent, to be completely trusting of God? No matter what happens during our day, we can trust that God is indeed taking care of us. When we learn to trust and we hold onto God’s hand, we will discover that no obstacle is too big. We may need to take some huge deep breaths to release all of our fears, but that is what children do. They simply trust their parents, they put all their faith in the fact that their parents will be there for them in times of trouble.

We need to trust that God will be there for us. We can have confidence in the fact that God loves us. We can have faith that God will never abandon us. We can always have hope because God is taking care of us. Have a simple, childlike belief and trust in God. God will never let us down. That's what Jesus was saying.

Peace and love,

Sue


"Then Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". (Luke 9:23)