Faith Like Children

When one of His disciples asked Jesus who the greatest in heaven would be, Jesus answered by presenting a child. He said that if anyone wanted to get into heaven, he’d have to turn and become like a child. And since we know that Jesus also said that He is the only way to God, what Jesus was saying here was that in order to accept the free gift of grace, we have to confess dependence. Jesus was showing that children are perfect examples of this dependence. Their innocence and immaturity is what makes them able to accept grace. And our belief that we are self-sufficient—our independence—is what keeps us from God. When we think we’re ok on our own, it’s a declaration to God that we don’t need Him, and that He’s not everything He says He is.

Somewhere along the way, as we grow up, something in us tells us that we need to be independent. We begin to believe that we can do anything we want, and we don’t need anyone’s help to do it. And when we fail, who is there to catch us? The world can be cruel and unforgiving. Often, we let the people tell us that we are the sum of our failures. But everything’s different when we’re walking with Jesus. When we hold His hand, we may not know where we are, but we’re never lost. When we follow His direction, we may be scared, but we’re never unsafe. When we lean on Him, we may feel weak, but we’re not without strength. And when we fall, His hand is always there to help us up again.

Jesus wants us to realize our own inadequacy, because until we do, we can never fully rely on Him. We were created with a hole in our chest. It’s a hole that can only be filled by God. Jesus knows that, and He wants us to feel complete. So in His mercy, Jesus allows us to feel the pain of failure when we’re on our own. It’s a means of calling us back to Him. He wants us to depend on the only thing that can support us: Himself.  So instead of “growing up” and being good all by ourselves, maybe we ought to try growing into total dependence. Let us be like children who long to follow after their Father.