And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3 NIV)
This is a verse I have been pondering for a couple of months now. As I have been going through a transition in life and struggling with a lot of uncertainty, I had to take a step back and ask myself if I am really exercising faith in God or if I am depending on myself. I believe that God has our future in His hands, but am I exercising that belief?
In verse 1 of Matthew 18, Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “…Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus calls over a child and says to them:
“…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. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me,” (Matthew 18:3-5, NIV)
I don’t think it’s far-fetched to believe that this answer surprised some of the disciples. When we think of who is the “greatest,” we don’t immediately think of a child. But when you think of the qualities children generally possess, such as fascination, wonder, and trust, for example, it begins to make sense that Jesus calls us to be like little children to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Just as children place their total trust in their parents, so are we to put our total trust in God and His salvation.
One notable thing Jesus says is that we must change. When we transition into adulthood, we begin to lose those child-like characteristics, which is largely appropriate, but we also tend to pick up other traits like total self-reliance, doubt, fear, and selfish ambition, for example, as the stressors and temptations of life become more and more apparent. These, of course, get in the way of our ability to have that child-like trust in God and is why Jesus calls us to change. And by the grace of God and through the help of the Holy Spirit, we can.
In my experience, much of the frustration and fear that we oftentimes have throughout our walk with God on earth is rooted in our inability or refusal to take God at His word and to align our desires to His will. Our walk with God requires total and consistent cooperation with Him, so in order to change, we must also make an intentional effort to. The Word of God is alive and transformative, so as we meditate on the Word and take God at His word, we will undoubtedly see a change in the way we think and act. Psalms 1 says that those who meditate on the Lord’s Word day and night are blessed. Meditate day and night so that God’s truth becomes not only something you know, but also something you believe.
As I meditate on Matthew 18, I see how great a gift it is that God freely gives us salvation, so long as we believe in Him and surrender to Him. I also see how I, as His daughter, will always be taken care of. No matter what I see in front of me, I must hold on to God’s promises, because they never change. I hope that anyone who is reading this and may be in a similar place as I am can take away this truth as well. There is a profound amount of peace to be found in the simplicity of our relationship with God, so long as we become like little children in the way we trust in Him. I pray that God will give us all the ability to place our total, unrestrained trust in Him, no matter the circumstances, and that He gives us the grace to hold firm to His Word, that it may transform us and be a continual reminder of His love for us.
