"Like a Child"

Anyone who’s spent considerable time with me has probably noticed that I really like children. A lot.
They generally get my undivided attention until I remind myself to also address the adults present. Lol!
It takes effort to pull away from them. I hope it doesn't seem weird. For me, it’s a part of an ongoing
learning exercise (don’t worry, if I’ve babysat or spent time with your children, I promise I didn’t turn
them into guinea pigs while you were out of earshot!) ...but I do observe them. Closely. I’m curious.
What is it about them that made Jesus call for them? Why is it that we will never enter the kingdom of
heaven unless we become like a little child? What characteristics do our adorable, rambunctious,
naive little children have that I seem to have lost along the way? ...and how can I get them back?

Over the past few days I’ve interacted with two little boys who gave me a glimpse of what it means to
be a child. In both cases, they had needs. What I took note of noticed, is that they unabashedly asked
for help. The first instance was when a neighbor kid asked me for $5 to help buy a video game. As we
sat on the porch, he seemed to be on the verge of tears because he’d saved $35 but the game he
wanted was $40 so now he couldn’t get it. He wanted to know if I could give him $5. So, like anyone
might have done in this situation, I went and found $5 for him, of course. As I searched for my purse,
I wondered if this child’s mom knew that he was out asking neighbors for money. It didn't bother me, but
parents tend not to like having their neighbors think their child is in need of anything that the parents
are not able to provide.


The 2nd interaction was with a 4 year old I’d known for all of an hour who asked me to take him to the
bathroom (while his mom was teaching a class in the next room). So, of course, I did - taking every
precaution to make sure I stood just outside the door in the hall and waited for him and helped him to fix
his clothes right there in the lobby in plain sight of everyone walking past. Just like the 1st child, he was
completely unaware of the potential societal implications that were associated with what he’d asked. We
live in a society that has conditioned us to think the worst about every situation - but this child knows
nothing of that...yet.

These little guys reminded me that to be a child is to be able to ask to have one’s needs met -
without fear of rejection. Without embarrassment nor shame. Without concern for appearances.
And Without fear of bad outcomes. The child who has never experienced lack has an unwavering trust
that their needs will be supplied. In the stories above, itnever crossed these children's minds that I might
not have been able or willing to respond to their need. They hadn't been introduced to devising a 'Plan B'
or "expecting the worst but hope for the best" approach to life. There are few who make it to adulthood
with that type of blind trust /child-like trust intact.

Exposure to rejection, disappointment, poverty, abuse, abandonment, neglect, and any of life's other
flavors of hurt all play a role in bringing the child-like trust we were born with to a painful end. On top
of that, constant messages that society feeds to us about what is ‘acceptable’ behavior (especially
regarding money, responsibility, and independence) continue a constant barrage against our trust.
What precious little trust remains by the time we're all grown up (and for many of us at far younger
ages) gets locked away on reserve because we have become conditioned to the pain that seems to
be inextricably associated with it. Finally, fear seals the coffin. As adults and our daily lives show very
little, if any, willingness to be vulnerable enough to ask for help as we did as a child: without fear,
without embarrassment or shame, and with full expectation that every need we have will be attended to.

So, in the next few months, I will attempt to imitate the behavior that has been so graciously modeled
for me this week by these two precious boys. I'll ask, and ask, and ask...which should be easy to do
because there is a TON that I need help with as I continue to prepare to leave the country. But, alas, I'm
the same as everyone else - fiercely independent, want to be seen as responsible, etc. I want God's
Kingdom more, however. I am certain that I cannot do this alone - not without Him and not without
His body - the church. So, listen out for me in the coming days or weeks...I'll be asking for help.

How will you attempt to be more child-like regarding trusting God? It'd be great for you to share your
story with us in the comments section below.