Learning from a child

Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.

Mark 10:15

Teachable moments in my life have a certain unexpected quality. Suddenly, a lesson sneaks around the corner and grabs my heart. Some of those moments in my life have left a lasting imprint in my character. I wonder if that was the case on that day. It was a day when a group of parents brought their children to Jesus for a blessing. The disciples scolded the parents. I’m sure they thought that it was good to protect Jesus from the intrusion. But, they were wrong. To Jesus, it was not an intrusion. It was an opportunity to provide perspective. After rebuking the disciples, He lifted a child and proceeded to embrace the little one like a shepherd would gather a small lamb with His arms (Isaiah 40:3). And then it happened. It was a teachable moment that echoes into my life today. Jesus said, “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it”.

I’m so tempted to reach into my pocket and provide my ticket for entry into God’s kingdom. You know the ticket. It’s a ticket that is intended to impress God. It’s my list of stuff that I have assembled to impress God. It’s sounds absurd to me as I describe it – imagine how absurd it is to God when we pull the ticket out. The message of Jesus would be more difficult for me to grasp were it not for the picture I have in my mind. It’s time to exchange the ticket for a lesson from a child. It’s time to trade my list for an embrace and blessing from my Savior.

In the 17^th century, Fenelon wrote a number of spiritual letters. In one of his letters he cautioned that absolute trust is the shortest road to God. He went on to write, “Abandon yourself as absolutely possible to God, and continue to do so to your latest breath, and He will never depart you.” In my mind’s eye, I see a child folded up in the arms of the Savior held closely enough to be comforted by the beat of His heart. For the child, there is no desire to leave. There is no longing to be anywhere else. There is no searching for a ticket. Love has made a way.  Absolute trust is natural. Distance from the heart of the Savior is unthinkable. The kingdom of God is the ultimate place of belonging.