At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

Then He called a child to Him and had him stand among them. “I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child-this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me.”

“But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me-it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea!..”  Matthew 18:1-6 HCSB

I’ll admit that there are times when I think back to the simpler times of my childhood. I was in a home where I was loved. I trusted the adults that were in charge of me. I knew that they would not allow any harm to come to me. I had everything I needed and a lot of stuff that I wanted provided for me. I didn’t pay any bills. Life was good.

As I got older, I had more responsibilities. When we begin driving we have more rules that we must follow. So we could say that with more freedom comes more rules and responsibilities.

As my life has progressed, I have suffered broken hearts that have left me not so trusting.  I have suffered physical injuries that continue to flare up and cause me pain. There are days when I long to be a kid again. I long to have the loving care that I had back then. I had my parents, my sister, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles that all took good care of me. I have since lost my Dad and my Mom has dementia. I have lost all four of my grandparents and all of my aunts and uncles. I miss them, but look forward to seeing them again. And of course, wouldn’t you love to go back in time with the knowledge you have now?

Now if you are reading this and you did not have a good childhood because of abuse or some other reason, then I am truly sorry. God promises that anyone that causes problems for a child will be dealt with severely so I hope that if you have suffered abuse as a child, you have been able to stop the cycle. I strongly encourage you to speak with a pastor, counselor, or trusted friend. You can enter a loving relationship with your Father in Heaven and learn what it really feels like to be a child of God.

When the disciples ask Jesus who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus calls a child over. He tells them that unless they are converted and become like children they will never enter the kingdom of heaven. By converted He means to actively and voluntarily turn away from sin.

He then tells them that they must humble themselves. By humbling themselves, Jesus means displaying childhood characteristics such as trust, openness, and an eagerness to learn. He is telling them that these childlike characteristics constitute greatness.

Children who grow up in a loving, safe environment trust blindly. They are open and honest. They are eager to learn and want to spend time with the loving family members in their lives.

My dad was always self-employed so there was a great deal of time that he could take me to work with him before I started school. I can remember going with him many days. I wanted to be with my dad. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to be all up in his business so to speak. I can vividly remember him taking a job in a plant. He would leave before I woke up and often times didn’t get home before I went to bed. I was very upset over this. After working there a couple months, he suffered a burn on his shoulder. I remember crying and begging him to quit this job. I don’t know if it was the burn or my tears, but I do remember that shortly after that he quit that job and went into the dairy business. I loved this because it meant that he worked at home. It meant that he was there with me and for me.

I have learned that I need to have that same desire for my heavenly Father. I need to desire to be with Him and talk to Him and be all up in His business. I have learned that my heavenly Father loves me and protects me, but will also discipline me when need be. I have learned that if I tend to His business, He will take care of mine.

If you are weighed down and burdened by life, become like a kid again. Run into the arms of your loving Father, trust in Him, humble yourself and open yourself up to Him. Desire to spend time with Him in His house. Desire to spend quality time with Him in prayer and Bible reading. He is only a cry away.

I still have the aches and pains that come with age, but I will never grow up. I will always be a child of God. Won’t you join me? Won’t you allow God to make you feel like a kid again?

Have a great day!