Never, Never Grow Up!

When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. (Mark 10:14, NLT)

A couple had two little boys, ages 8 and 10, who were excessively mischievous. They were always getting into trouble and their parents knew that, if any mischief occurred in their town, their sons were probably involved.

The boys' mother heard that a clergyman in town had been successful in disciplining children, so she asked if he would speak with her boys. The clergyman agreed, but asked to see them individually. So the mother sent her 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the clergyman in the afternoon.

The clergyman, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and asked him sternly,

"Where is God?".

The boy's mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there with his mouth hanging open, wide-eyed. So the clergyman repeated the question in an even sterner tone, "Where is God!!?" Again the boy made no attempt to answer. So the clergyman raised his voice even more and shook his finger in the boy's face and bellowed, "WHERE IS GOD!?"

The boy screamed and bolted from the room, ran directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, "What happened?"

The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, "We are in BIG trouble this time, dude. God is missing - and they think WE did it!"

Do you remember what it was like to be a kid? I remember riding my bike all over town (without a helmet I might add), jumping homemade ramps, and goofing around with my friends. I remember not worrying about paying bills, or putting gas in the car. Those delights didn’t come until I was a teenager.

Being a kid carries with it a certain quality of innocence that we often lose as the responsibilities of life begin to weigh us down. Kids are happy doing the silliest of things: chasing a butterfly or a seagull; blowing bubbles into the wind; jumping in a mud puddle; things that we would never think of doing as an adult.

Jesus told us to be more childlike in our approach to Him. I think he means for us to approach Him with the wonder of a small child experiencing---no living—life to its fullest.

We should ask God to restore the childlike faith in life we once had. Every day is a blessing from God, so live it like you believe it! Let’s be more childlike!