A Child

"Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all." Luke 18:17 (NASB) My little Steven is in that two-year-old stage where he loves to pray and to thank Jesus for everything! Yesterday the girls were chuckling at some of the things he was thankful for, including his lunch plate. We reminded the girls that that's the way our Savior wants us to be! Like a little child. How quickly the innocence fades! Olivia is only seven and Angela only five, yet they are already outgrowing some things that were so precious when they were younger. I read a poem by George MacDonald this morning, and the first stanza grabbed my heart: I would I were a child, That I might look, and laugh, and say, My Father! And follow thee with running feet, or rather Be led through dark and wild! My first thought was, "I am a child! I can be this way!" What an amazing thought! I can be just like Steven in the arms of my Father. Steven trusts me so explicitly. One kiss and even the worst of boo-boos are all better. Five minutes of focused playtime, and the world is right. One story, song, and prayer before bedtime, and the night passes peacefully. I am challenged to rest in my Father that way. I am challenged to be purely simple and totally trusting in my Lord. In this world, we have to grow more and more independent of our parents and more competent on our own. In the spiritual world it is the opposite: we have to grow continually less dependent on ourselves and more and more on God. May I be a child today!