Christian Living
Introduction
Jesus advises us on the importance of acquiring child-like temperance. In Luke 18: 16-18 he says “Let the children come to me and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it”
If we observe long jumpers, we see them preparing for their jumps by taking certain steps such as measuring their running steps, running and gathering momentum, and taking-off at some predetermined points. How well they jump depends on the athletes’ approach. Similarly how successful we are in taking our place as children of God, depend on the quality of our child-like spirit. Therefore the main aim of this missive is to offer insights in the areas that aspiring candidates should work on in developing the child-like spirit.
Observations of babies and young children would tell us that they possess negative and positive personalities. We would want to get rid of the weaknesses of childishness (immature behaviours) in our adult life. However,there are some strong and positive child-like traits that would keep us near to God. These are discussed below2.
Complete Dependence & Trust
Look at babies and young children. They are entirely dependent on the parents, especially mothers, to care for them. One of their strongest characters is the complete trust they have in parents. This kind of trust comes naturally.
If the things we tell young children do not work, they do not usually question the integrity of parents. For example young children have been known to tie tunics around their necks like superman and jumped to fly. After falling down they do not question the integrity of superman.
We adults have lost this instinctive trust because of the nasty things we experienced in our lives have destroyed this kind of trust. Some of us have lost money to con men and frauds have affected businesses. Rumours and gossips have hurt many people. Suspicion and distrust have become a lifestyle. The common thinking is that politicians are corrupted and cannot be trusted. Businessmen are greedy and exploit people; therefore they cannot be trusted. Wives are suspicious that their husbands are having mistresses because they are coming home from work late. Husbands cannot trust their wives with their salaries because they gamble it away or spend it on unnecessary things. Under a scenario of suspicion and distrust a person cannot trust other people and neither can others trust that person. The faults we see of others are obvious because these mirror our own faults.
The kind of trust that our heavenly Father wants is different. Jesus told the apostles: “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was not clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” Figure 1 simplifies this teaching of Jesus. The child-like faith is the total trust and dependence on the Father’s providence; therefore able to live in confidence. Comparatively the children of the world have pagan-like faith. Their lives are so dependent on worldly things and if they cannot provide these, they live in fear and anxiety.
According to our human values, the above advice is not practical. If taken literally one can die of starvation. This child-like trust and dependency is the Spirit inherent in the children of God. They are known especially for their faith; recognising that the quality of their lives depend on how well they apply the will of God. Jesus said that those who are child-like are blessed for their spirit belongs to the kingdom of heaven (ob. cit.).
Spontaneous Response
Babies and young children response very quickly to the caresses, gentle touches kisses and movements from adults. Usually they smile, giggle, nudges or move in response to the activities of the adults. This spontaneous response is an excellent child-like quality.
The apostles exhibited this child-like quality. When Jesus said, “come follow me”; the apostles immediately dropped their fishing nets and went with him to become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4: 18-22; Mark 1: 16-20; Luke 5: 1-11). Such child-like obedience and spontaneity had assisted the apostles to be outstanding followers of Jesus. Spontaneous response in applying the ‘Commandments’ or ‘Word of God’ have been repeatedly stressed in the Old and New Testaments. So this child-like spontaneous response is a spirit of divine obedience that will lead us to the kingdom of God.
Innocence
Babies do things straightforwardly. Their actions are unplanned and not meant to hurt anybody. Often their mistakes are accidental and without a premeditated purpose. They simply accept parental control without question. This simple and naïve mind, free from evil intention is child-like innocence.
We have to inherit the child-like spirit that is devoid of sinful purposes; doing “everything without grumbling or questioning” (Philippians 2:15), so our purity of heart will qualify us to become children of God.
Joy Over Little Things
When parents are busy doing things and their young children are restless, the parents simply give them ordinary things like tins, cardboard boxes and common household utensils. The young children joyfully play with these simple things for hours. Such joy over little things is an obvious and easily seen in young children.
Adults are only contented over big things like winning a lottery and getting promoted. Yet these are the things that distance people from God. People no longer have joy in the clean air they breathe the beauty of nature, and the value of land for growing food. That is why they cut trees to gain wealth, to pursue economic progress even though this destroys the environment, and replace valuable agricultural land with industrial and residential developments. People tend to have greater joy over economic success because they do not appreciate the natural things that come from God. We have to return to the child-like joy over little things to experience the love of God.
Never Give Up Attitude
Have you ever seen toddlers learn to walk? Initially they get up and make a few steps and they fall. In the process of learning to walk toddlers fall many times. Despite of the pain, the anguish and bruises; they keep on trying, never giving up until they are successful.
Unfortunately adults are not like that. As difficulties come many cannot cope. Husbands and wives divorce and families break up. Pressures at work lead to resignations. Some who cannot bear the hardship of life any longer commit suicide. Similarly people join Bible study groups and attend prayer meetings, but many do not last. So we have to go back to the way we once were when we were toddlers. We have to develop the child-like attitude of never giving up. Like the toddlers we must persevere in our “walk” to the Lord, overcoming all worldly and spiritual difficulties. If we fall we simply get up and try again. For those who can overcome their trails here on earth Jesus says: “I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne” (Revelation 3: 21)
Willingness to Learn and Share
Toddlers and young children also show great willingness to learn. When children begins to learn to speak they are not afraid to utter anything. We may remember that we learn much faster in our younger days. Children normally do not keep to themselves. They tend to share things and ideas among themselves. So there are greater opportunities for learning and personal development.
Adults often do want to learn because some think they know too much already; while some think that they are too old to learn. That is why we adults tend to have fixed ideas and way of doing things. So it is not easy for people to give up their bad habits like smoking, throwing rubbish in the drain, bad tempered, gambling or cheating other people. Older people are not open to new ideas, therefore cannot improve on their present life or well being. When people talk with each other, they tend to gossip. People also tend to keep good things to themselves, so useful ideas cannot be shared.
Psalm 119 tells us that God want us to learn and apply his commands, and improve from our life’s experiences. Romans 16: 27 also urges Christians to share in spiritual knowledge. Therefore it is vital to revive the child-like willingness to learn and share.
Creative
The creativity in children is seen while at play. They would build blocks in varying way. On Christmas days and birthdays young children are usually given presents. Have you ever noticed that when they have opened up the wrappings; it is not the expensive toys that they want to play with but the cardboard boxes that previously wraps their presents. The toy is played according to its function; but the box is anything that imagination can bring - a house, the body of Power Ranger’s Robots or the bridge of Starship Enterprise. The child-like spirit loves choices, new adventures, secret and mysteries. It is not restraint by the physical dimension but goes into the realm of the fantastic.
In Genesis 1:1 it is written that “the earth was a formless wasteland and darkness covered the abyss”. God’s creativity was to bring order out of chaos and to form the natural universe out of nothing. Everything what God has made is good (Genesis 1: 31). God made us in his own image (Genesis 1:26). We cannot be in the image of God in the physical sense because God is spirit. However we can inherit his spirit of righteousness and creativity in good things. We can also do things out of nothing in the spiritual sense. We create faith in our hearts and minds by seeing the natural things as the works of God (Hebrew 11:3). We can also achieve spiritual transformation through the power of God (Corinthians 5: 17-18). Creativity is also possible through efforts such as the effective organisation of ministries, to protect the goodness of the environment and to bring social justice. Therefore to possess child-like creativity is to forever find ways and means of doing good things, to transform oneself and other people in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps this story will tell you the essence of creativity. An adult on seeing a child busy at work asked what he is doing. He replied, “I am drawing a picture of God.” “Oh,” exclaimed the adult “But no one knows what God looks like.” The child responded confidently, “They will when I have finished.” Such is the child-like creativity through which revelations from God can enter into ones mind.
Humility
Young children are humble because they accept their limitations. They see older people as more knowledgeable and therefore are open to their advises and assistance. So they look up to their parents and teachers, to the point of submissiveness.
Adults have different attitudes. For example, if you ask children how old they are; they will tell you their age exactly. Children would be proud of telling people that they are getting older because in their mentality the older they gets, the more mature they would become. Adults, especially females, will tend to hide their age. People doing manual labour would avoid telling their profession because of the fear of being looked down on. The rich, misplaced educated and powerful people tend to discriminate against the poor and ordinary people. Older people also tend to challenge other people’s opinion. When one is offering an idea, others would say that their ideas are better because they have more experience or an expert in the topic. Everybody tries to portray a better image. To the sophisticated humility is despised upon because this implies inadequacy, lack of dignity and a sense of worthlessness. Pride makes people brag about their achievements, their Mercedes Benz, their ability to attract the opposite sex, their extra marital affairs, how much beers they can drink and so on. People who have no knowledge of God have pride in worldly things.
Humility is the freedom from arrogance because people view that all the things and virtues that they have are from God. Scientific people see the rainbow as the refraction of light in the water vapour. Some see gold pots at the end of the rainbow. God abiding people sees it as a sign of the promise of God made long ago. Humble people focus on God and other people than on themselves. Jesus submission to the Father’s will even to death and servant-like services to people has given us a perfect example of what child-like humility is all about.
Conclusion
We adults were children before and therefore had possessed some of these child-like virtues. In time these have been replaced by grown-up attitudes. However, Jesus advises us, “unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like a child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18: 3-4). So it is time to reflect and work to regain the child-like spirit we have lost, if not strength them.
If there is anything worthwhile to ask from the Holy Spirit, it is this child-like spirit for it will bring your steps back on tract towards the Kingdom of Heaven. For the humblest thing we ask on earth will find great rewards in the Kingdom of God. We are assured in Romans 8: 14 that “those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God”.
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