What makes children so great in God’s kingdom? When the disciples were arguing about who was the greatest, Jesus took a called a child and told them to become like children. Oddly enough we’d probably say that since they were actually arguing about being great, that they were being childish. The difference between the child and the adult being childish is that the child knows she is a child.
Children have an amazing capacity to trust and believe. I fear that we are losing some of this humble acceptance that children have as they become more spoiled, or treated as if the world revolves around them. (I wonder if some of what I perceive as a jadedness in children comes from the media they are exposed to. I don’t know.) On the whole, though, children will often believe where adults will raise an eyebrow in doubt.
Jesus loves that kind of trust. Not because it’s a blind trust! It’s not! It’s a trust that they place in the person. To the child, the person is worth trusting. Children put their full trust in the parents and believe that they can do anything, that they can make it all better, that everything will be okay if they are there – even when it doesn’t look like it can be. The cool thing is, that when we trust Jesus like that, he actually can do anything, make it all better, and bring everything about to okay. (Better than okay! Glorious!)
Do we trust so fully? Do we believe him with such depth as children do?
It is not easy for us. We’ve see things that make us wonder how God could possibly allow it. We know the hurts that have been given, the atrocities that have been done, and we’ve seen the terrible things in this world. And sometimes they cause us to doubt that we can trust Jesus. Oh, sure we can trust him for forgiveness . . . but with my cancer? My marriage? My economic troubles? My grief? My children? What about war? What about abortion? What about all the terrible things that happen in this world? How can he allow them?
Trust him. When everything else is out of control and chaotic – there is one place to stand firm. It’s in Jesus – the cross and empty tomb. A child who is hurt, confused, and frustrated runs to his parents, and they take him in their arms and everything begins to be okay. The same is true for us. When we run to Jesus, it begins to be okay. He reminds us that there is more than the troubles we face in this life. He has prepared a place for us. He is going to come back and take us to be with him – and there will be no crying, pain, or dying there. All will be good. All will be right.
Trust him.
In the meantime we still walk through this world. The rest of Matthew 18 urges us to be people of forgiveness. If we trust that we have been forgiven much, it becomes part of our life to extend forgiveness to others.
Again, this goes to trust. Can we trust Jesus to take care of the sins and offenses that others commit against us? Is our Jesus big enough to take care of it?
He is. He did. It’s going to be okay. No, it’s going to be better than okay. It will be glorious.
Because I said so? No! Because Jesus, promised it!
Heavenly Father, thank you for always keeping your promises. I don’t always trust you the way a child would, but I want to. Please help me to become so convinced of your faithfulness that it affects my choices, my lifestyle, and the way I treat others. Help me to trust you so much that it becomes infectious, and others around me begin to trust in Jesus too. In his name I pray. Amen.
Children have an amazing capacity to trust and believe. I fear that we are losing some of this humble acceptance that children have as they become more spoiled, or treated as if the world revolves around them. (I wonder if some of what I perceive as a jadedness in children comes from the media they are exposed to. I don’t know.) On the whole, though, children will often believe where adults will raise an eyebrow in doubt.
Jesus loves that kind of trust. Not because it’s a blind trust! It’s not! It’s a trust that they place in the person. To the child, the person is worth trusting. Children put their full trust in the parents and believe that they can do anything, that they can make it all better, that everything will be okay if they are there – even when it doesn’t look like it can be. The cool thing is, that when we trust Jesus like that, he actually can do anything, make it all better, and bring everything about to okay. (Better than okay! Glorious!)
Do we trust so fully? Do we believe him with such depth as children do?
It is not easy for us. We’ve see things that make us wonder how God could possibly allow it. We know the hurts that have been given, the atrocities that have been done, and we’ve seen the terrible things in this world. And sometimes they cause us to doubt that we can trust Jesus. Oh, sure we can trust him for forgiveness . . . but with my cancer? My marriage? My economic troubles? My grief? My children? What about war? What about abortion? What about all the terrible things that happen in this world? How can he allow them?
Trust him. When everything else is out of control and chaotic – there is one place to stand firm. It’s in Jesus – the cross and empty tomb. A child who is hurt, confused, and frustrated runs to his parents, and they take him in their arms and everything begins to be okay. The same is true for us. When we run to Jesus, it begins to be okay. He reminds us that there is more than the troubles we face in this life. He has prepared a place for us. He is going to come back and take us to be with him – and there will be no crying, pain, or dying there. All will be good. All will be right.
Trust him.
In the meantime we still walk through this world. The rest of Matthew 18 urges us to be people of forgiveness. If we trust that we have been forgiven much, it becomes part of our life to extend forgiveness to others.
Again, this goes to trust. Can we trust Jesus to take care of the sins and offenses that others commit against us? Is our Jesus big enough to take care of it?
He is. He did. It’s going to be okay. No, it’s going to be better than okay. It will be glorious.
Because I said so? No! Because Jesus, promised it!
Heavenly Father, thank you for always keeping your promises. I don’t always trust you the way a child would, but I want to. Please help me to become so convinced of your faithfulness that it affects my choices, my lifestyle, and the way I treat others. Help me to trust you so much that it becomes infectious, and others around me begin to trust in Jesus too. In his name I pray. Amen.
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