Recently I was walking along the lake and saw a little child chasing her dad by the water. He ran a little bit faster than her, just enough to make her giggle and want to chase him down even more. As the two of them laughed, I couldn’t help but think about the parallels between that picture and our relationship with God through Christ.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 18 that “Unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” What did He mean by this? I believe that it is a simple calling to become childlike but not childish.
A child is always learning and in awe of the things that their parents can do. There is frequently something new to learn and a deeper truth to be realised. However, somewhere along the way, children just want to grow up and do their own thing. They think they know better when clearly, they don’t. This is where childish actions can come into play.
The reality is that many of us are called children of God because of what Christ has done for us but have lost the childlike awe and wonder of our Heavenly Father. We believe in God and pray to Him but He has become nothing more than a distant, far off man in the sky who is only present at certain times. This could not be further from the truth.
If this describes part or all of your relationship with God, can I challenge you to become childlike once again. Take some time this week to really give the Lord an opportunity to tell you how much He loves you as His child. In doing this, you will start to wonder again not only at God in creation, but also at the fact that you can even call God your Heavenly Father at all.
