Like A Baby

When one has a particularly good night sleep, a common way to express it is, "I slept like a baby."  Apart from some anomaly, a baby can fall to sleep quickly and rest stress-free because they have no worries, nothing to keep them up.  If a baby does not sleep, you know something is wrong - perhaps gas, teething pain, congestion, messy diaper, something but not stress or guilt - those are adult maladies reserved for those of us who do not understand why Jesus said, "Unless you become like this little children, you will never enter the kingdom" (Matt 18:3).

So, what is it about little children or babies that make them so "kingdom fit?"  Trust.  As infants or small children, concern about tomorrow or guilt about yesterday simply doesn't happen.  When these little ones lay their heads down to sleep, they rest in a world that is overseen by their mommy and/or daddy.  They have a worldview in which their parents are paramount.  Their self-worth comes from a mother who is cooing over them and from a father who greets them with smiles and kisses.

Receiving their view of self from loving parents, doesn't allow for negative self-doubt.  Being able to live in the moment, trusting in the oversight of parents that will protect and provide, and in whom the child has ultimate faith.

What if we had a world-view like a baby?  What if we derived our self-worth from our Father and absolutely trusted in Him to provide and protect?  What would be keeping us up at night?  What would we be lying awake worrying about or regretting?  If we could lay our concerns at Jesus' feet before we went to bed, how sweet would that rest be?

Jesus says, "Let not your hearts be troubled, trust in God, trust also in me..." (Jn 14:1).  How would our lives be different if we really did that?  What if we accepted our Father's forgiveness and allowed him to take away our guilt?  From where would our guilt or regrets come?  Truly, what if, like a baby, the last thing we see is the face of our Father and the first thing we look for in the morning was that same face?  What if?  Jus' Ask'n.