My daughter and my sister are kid magnets. Children single them out in public places as approachable. A little one may come right up and start a conversation or latch onto them unexpectedly, surprising them and the parents or caregivers. It’s definitely how God wired them as they both chose teaching as a vocation, but as my sister said recently, children recognize Jesus in me. Jesus once scolded his disciples for turning away parents who brought their children to Him so He could bless them, insisting that the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like little children.
“One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them.
But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.
When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples.
He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them!
For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.
I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”
Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.
As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.
But to answer your question, you know the commandments:
‘You must not murder.
You must not commit adultery.
You must not steal.
You must not testify falsely.
You must not cheat anyone.
Honor your father and mother.’”
“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”
Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him.
“There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.
Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!”
This amazed them.
But Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!”
The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.
Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible.
But not with God.
Everything is possible with God.””
Mark 10:13-27 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/mrk.10.15-27.NLT
Connecting these two stories makes me think that Jesus meant more by childlike faith than we tend to envision, not the least of which is that we’re taught to be self-reliant and having been successful in this, we find it difficult to surrender all to Him. The young man with great wealth couldn’t take his eyes off his riches and his own plans for them to really see God in human flesh inviting him to a front row seat in the adventure of a lifetime. He couldn’t see the proverbial forest for the trees.
“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
John 1:12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jhn.1.12.NLT
Little wonder that the role of fathers is under attack and childhood is being stolen from an entire generation. If the enemy can remove every trace of childlike innocence, every fiber of moral integrity from the earth, then Jesus’s words “our Father in heaven” lose their true and intended meaning.
“God is not a man, so he does not lie.
He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through?”
Numbers 23:19 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/num.23.19.NLT
I have a good father. I know he loves me simply because I am his. I know he would give his life for mine without a moment’s hesitation. He loves my mother and my siblings, my cousins and my grandparents, well in front of me. He serves others and honors Christ as Lord. He is not perfect because only Jesus lived a perfect life, but I have a better understanding of who God is because of him.
When I pray, speaking to God as my Heavenly Father, I am reminded of another of Jesus’s teachings.
“Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story:
“Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread.
You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’
And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’
But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for.
Keep on seeking, and you will find.
Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives.
Everyone who seeks, finds.
And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?
Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion?
Of course not!
So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.””
Luke 11:5-13 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.11.5-13.NLT
Children are relentless when they want something. They are never satisfied with a “we’ll see” or “maybe later.” If they want another story, it’s “just one more” as many times as it takes. If they want the cookie or the ice cream, they’ll never let you forget it. Redirecting by changing the subject may derail them momentarily but their little attention spans aren’t quite as short as ours. They haven’t yet been conditioned to flit from one task to the next without going deeper.
Conditioning is a favorite trick of our enemy. Let me see or hear something often enough and I may not like it but I become accustomed to it. Then I either resign myself to living with it or become deaf to it, pretending it doesn’t affect me. Either way, the enemy wins. God would have us surrender even our asking to Him and He promises to translate our desires until they are in harmony with His own will.
“And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”
Romans 8:26-28 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/rom.8.26-28.NLT
“Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:
“Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.””
Luke 11:2-4 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.11.2-4.NLT
Jesus opened the door to the Father for us on the cross. The most holy place which represented the presence of God with Israel is no more. The curtain in the temple was split from top to bottom when Jesus gave up His life. Jesus is our Way in, our Advocate, our Friend, and the Firstborn among many brothers and sisters. As God’s dear children, let us approach our Heavenly Father boldly, knowing that He is good, trusting in His faithfulness, and certain that He welcomes us and wants to bless us.
We have a good Father. He loves us simply because we are His. We are created to be His image-bearers. He gave his one and only Son who gave His life for us without a moment’s hesitation. He loves well for all to see, and He is perfect.
As siblings vying for their daddy’s attention when he arrives home each evening from work, race to your Heavenly Father, knowing that He never sleeps. Though He is always working, but He is also ever-present and His arms are always opened to you. Let Him draw you into His embrace and fill you with His love until it overflows! Let’s outdo one another in our obedience to Him, seeking to please Him by modeling our lives after the Son whom He loves in the same way a small child emulates an older sibling. Let’s be the generation who turns to the Lord with all our hearts!
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