For instance, when Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 18:3), what qualities did he have in mind? Did he want us to whine and cry and throw tantrums when we don't get our way? Did he want us to be irresponsible and demanding and terribly noisy? I've known a good may "childish" adults and I can tell you, they are not Kingdom representative.
What Jesus had in mind, is a particular quality of small children that we would label being "childlike" as opposed to "childish." We can know this by the qualifier found in the next verse : "Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (4).
Small children, as demanding and selfish as they can be, have a very humble quality of reliance upon and trust in their parents. They humbly come to their parents, trusting them to meet all their needs - looking to them for protection and provision. They love and depend on their parents in an unadulterated way. This childlike quality is what allows us to give up the kingdom of self and fully embrace the Kingdom of God.
Many adults are childish in their self-centered and demanding ways. Fewer are childlike in their humble willingness to look to God in humble dependency. All of us struggle with this at times, but only the attitude we feed regularly will win out. Which one do you feed? Which one do you cultivate the most in your daily walk? Jus' Askn.
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