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Mind of a Child
by Shell Vera "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:1-6). That is verse 3 of Matthew 18, one of my favorite reflection texts. I would like to invite you on my reflection trip today. What do you think Jesus means by "become like little children"? Does he mean for us to whine and suck our thumbs? Does he mean for us to be uneducated and ignorant to the things of the world? No. I believe Jesus is telling us that we should have the mind of a child and think like little children when it comes to viewing the world and faith. Look around at church, at the supermarket, in your house. Look at the actions of a child. Now, let us reflect a bit. Take a serious look at how children act. They say what is on their minds, and they depend upon others. If you are a mother or father, can you relate to a child's actions? We are children of God, just as our children are ours. We must provide nourishment, teaching, and love to our children. God provides these things for us. God tells us to "be like little children." Watch a child as he or she learns to walk. Watch as he or she falls, gets up; falls, gets up; falls, gets up; and so on and so forth until they can walk completely on their own. This is how we should be as God's children. We have a sin nature. We are human. We will inevitably sin because we are sinners. God has a merciful nature. He will forgive us. We only have to ask him. Sinning is our falling. Repenting is our getting up. We need to be like the children learning to walk. We need to trust Jesus fully to pick us up when we fall, just as we help our little ones get back up when they fall. We need to speak what is on our mind like the little children learning to speak. God is always watching. He knows if we deny somebody the Word of God. We need to have the innocent, Christ-like minds that little children have. Our goal as Christians is to be like Christ. To one day be perfect just as Christ is perfect. Having the mind of a child is how we walk this journey towards Christ-likeness. When we fall, we must get back up. When we sin, we must repent. When we fail, we must pray. When we succeed, we must praise. When we struggle, we must trust in God. When we overcome, we must continue to look to God. In all these things, we must give thanks. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Trust in God to pull you through. He does the impossible. So let us be His children and walk with him, talk with him, witness about him, praise him, and spend quiet time in reflection with him so we can receive his wisdom on various subjects. Michelle Vera is a writer passionate about living a full and treasured life. She encourages those around her to do the same while living a life fully directed by the Lord. To see more of her work, visit http://www.facebook.com/EyesStraightAhead Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |