Come as a Child

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.  I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 

Mark 10:14-15

Last night, in searching the Scriptures about parenting, and how to shepherd my children in their faith, I came across this passage, which I've, admittedly, read a million times, and heard preached 2 million.  Yet, once again the Living and Active Word of God fell fresh on my heart, and I suddenly felt new revelation about what exactly this means -- to come as a child.  So, I started reflecting on my own children, to try to gain a better perspective of what Jesus's instructions might mean.

In other words, how do my children "come unto me?"  They come in several meaningful ways that, I believe, are applicable to this passage.

1.  My Children Come HONESTLY, CONFESSING their sin:

I'll admit, half the time my kids get into trouble, they would have never been caught if they didn't come running to me to tell me what they'd done.  I have a sofa table in my living room that has my "pretties" on it (delicate breakable figurines), which the kids are not allowed to touch.  Yet, sometimes, I walk through the living room to find all of my little figurines laying perfectly aligned on their sides.  One day recently, Jonah came running to me in the bedroom, a little remorseful in his tone, but needing to get it out - "Mommy, um, uh, I just touched your people on the table.  I'm sorry.  I just touched them, and layed them over."  I said, "Jonah, you are not supposed to touch them.  Do NOT touch them again.  Mommy is going to go set them back up."  He quickly interjected, "Oh, I already put them back."  HA!  So, if Jonah hadn't come to confess his sin, I would have never even known what he had done!

Of course, the Lord sees all that we have done, anyway, and yet, I think we still, as "grown-ups" feel like we can conceal our sin from Him, all the same.  Oh, what we can learn from the honest, heart-felt confession of a child.

2.  My Children Come BOLDLY, and with WRECKLESS ABANDON:

When my kids approach me about anything, they never feel shy, scared, or timid.  No.  They know what they want, and they know I'm the one to help them get it.  They come, full-on, ready to address whatever it is that they need, whether it be a glass of milk, or to tattle on their sibling!  They don't hold back their emotions, but put them out there for the world (and ME) to see.  If they're mad, they don't pretend to be happy.  If they're scared, they don't pretend to feel secure.  They look to me to meet their emotional needs, and they know that for me to help them, they have to let me know, BOLDLY and HONESTLY, exactly how they feel.  Sometimes, they get mad at me, and Jonah will be quick to tell me, "You're not my best friend anymore!" But, he also knows that's a safe way to feel, because when he changes his mind, I will be right there waiting for him.

In the same way, we can approach God with any and all of our emotions.  We can stand boldly before the throne, and make our petitions known to the Lord.  We are safe in His presence, no matter what it is that we may feel!

3. My Children Come Knowing that I will UNDERSTAND them:

I have to admit, sometimes the life of a Mommy of preschoolers is a lot about interpreting the gibberish!  I tell our friends that we can understand everything Lexi says, but we have to be her interpreter for others.  For instance, I know that "I want a teabot" means, "I want a cereal bar," and "Bubbapinmeahdaahm" translates to, "Bubba pinched me on the arm."  Likewise, when Jonah declares that "There's a caterpillar what turned into this bug is in my room," I know he means he just found a moth!  

Interpreting the gibberish.

Sometimes, we go to God and don't know exactly what to say or how to say it, but we have to trust that He, too, will be able to decipher the gibberish of our hearts.  Because He can...and He does!

4. My Children Come TRUSTING me FULLY:

I always loved watching my brother with his kids when they were younger, as he would spin these ridiculous tales about his previous life as a professional kickboxer, or beat boxer, or whatever, and his kids would swallow his tales hook-line-and-sinker, every time.  It was hilarious!  But, they trusted him. And, our kids are the same way -- it's called childlike faith, and it's called that for a reason!  Jonah believes everything we throw at him.  Lexi fully trusts that her Mommy is going to meet her every need.  Jonah knows he's going to get dinner every night, and Lexi knows her Mommy is going to snuggle her up when she asks for it (and even when she doesn't).  They haven't been jaded, yet, by the cruel effects of the sin of this world.

But, we have.  And, because of those cruel effects, sometimes we have a hard time approaching the throne with complete trust that the Father will meet our needs, and speak only the truth into our hearts, and feed and clothe us, and provide for us.

What if we took this reflection and approached the throne of grace truly like a child!  After all "the kingdom belongs to such as these."  We can honestly and openly confess our sins, express our emotions (even the ugly ones), cry out to God, even when we don't know exactly what it is that we want to say, and trust completely that He is there to fulfill our needs and bring forth the purpose He has for our life!  I think it all boils down to this:  We must be ourselves!  No facades, no phony attitudes, nothing hidden in our hearts.  We must put it out there completely, because He sees it, anyway!  We may be able to fool those around us, and even fool ourselves, but there is no fooling God.  And, He loves us ANYWAY!


"The kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2).  That means it's here & now, and yours for the taking.  Grab ahold, with the bold and wreckless abandonment of a child!