It's Great to be a Kid!

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. (Matthew 18:1-4)

Wow . . . listen to the words of Jesus. Initially, Jesus says that we will not enter the kingdom of heaven unless we become like a child. So we adults need to change our mindset and think like children think. Not that we become immature and childish in the traditional sense, but that we accept things in simplicity. Children have a way of believing everything you say and believing it as fact. It's only when we grow up that we tend to question everything. You know the things kids asked when they begin to get smart . . .

"Why is the sky blue?" "Why do we have to take baths?" "Why can't eat pizza and hot dogs every day for lunch and dinner and cupcakes for breakfast?"

But the currency of the kingdom of heaven is faith. It's what moves God's heart and what the great people of God are known for. So for the first part Jesus is telling us, "have faith like a child". Jesus is not complicated! The humility of a child is very evident. It's a beautiful thing to watch. Although they may compete with each other in games and such, the humility they have without even knowing it is astounding! In the Jewish culture a child was thought of as insignificant until they were twelve years old. Now think about our youth. . .when do they begin to compare their clothes, toys, even abilities in sports . . . ten . . . twelve? Essentially, Jesus is saying act as if you were the lowest in society. Jesus often tell us to go lower if we want to be higher. Our humility in His eyes equals in direct proportion to how He exalts us. The word says over and over that our job is to humble ourselves in His sight and He exalts us.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10)

It's great to be a kid . . . in God's Kingdom!