The Heart of a Child
[Jesus] said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Mark 10:14-15
IN WORD
We know how to complicate things. The human brain is built for analysis, and our emotional wounds and unmet longings exploit that tendency endlessly. We lie awake at night reviewing conversations and circumstances in our minds and imagining as many outcomes as we can think of. We want to understand every aspect of a decision before we make it. We want to plan for every contingency before it happens. We entertain far more scenarios than we could ever possibly experience.
Sometimes, we need to just accept the truth that is given to us. We shouldn’t abandon all discernment, but when it comes to our relationship with our Father, we have to accept Him with the trust of a child. If we wait to fully understand the Kingdom before we enter it, we will never enter it. We will have to embrace things our minds can’t grasp, hold the hand of the One who is leading us without knowing exactly where we are going, and look at His world and His work with a sense of wonder and adventure. That’s what children do, isn’t it? The Kingdom was made for people who can appreciate it simply.
IN DEED
God isn’t opposed to understanding; He urges us to seek it. Wisdom is good. But when Jesus tagged the children as ideal Kingdom citizens, He wasn’t downplaying wisdom and understanding. He was downplaying cynicism, skepticism, complacency, and the pride of judging things we know little about. And if we’re honest, we have to admit we know little about the Kingdom. It isn’t a theological truth to analyze nearly as much as it is a realm to embrace and enter into with gratitude. In other words, our Kingdom life doesn’t need to be complicated.
Let go of the need to overanalyze. Live simply. Embrace awe and wonder. Be free to enjoy the Father. That’s what the Kingdom is all about.
