“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3 (NIV)
People say, “The older you get, the wiser you are.” But maybe we have this backward. What if I said, “The older you get, the more foolish you are?” It seems children know things adults don’t.
What makes children wiser isn’t actually what they know but what they don’t know. They don’t know how cruel this world can be. Thus, they love with abandon and believe with their whole heart. Perhaps that’s why Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mathew 18:3, NIV).
Furthermore, children find joy in simple things. Once, I spent a fortune throwing an elaborate birthday party and buying expensive presents for my son. Yet afterward, while cleaning up, I saw him playing with the box rather than the big toy inside it.
Why would a child choose to play with a box? Simple: A box allows for creativity. It can become a house, a rocket, or anything a child can imagine. It also fosters problem-solving. Amazingly, children innately know what is suitable for their development. Children don’t need expensive things because the media and culture haven’t swayed them yet.
How can we gain joy and wisdom from children?
- We can love God with abandon, without expectation.
“When you live a life of abandoned love, surrendered before the awe of God, here’s what you’ll experience: Abundant life. Continual protection. And complete satisfaction!” (Proverbs 19:23, TPT).
- We can enjoy simple things.
“So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 8:15, NIV).
- We can let God’s presence be our treasure.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21, ESV).
- We can renew our minds. We can transform our minds by reading and speaking the Word of God when tempted to seek happiness in things and wealth. Then we can see whether our desires align with God’s. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2, NIV).
Dear God, please help me remember to seek You and Your Word so You can fill me with wisdom and the joy of Your presence. Help me to be like a little child again so I can love others with abandon. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. be like a little child again so I can love others with abandon. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
For Further Study:
10 Bible Verses About Children
