“And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’” - Matthew 18:3
Young children have always been my biggest inspiration. This may be because I have young siblings who have become my best friends, or because I have a father who acts like a child (seriously, though). Either way, I believe that over the years I have come to appreciate childlikeness. I have realized that to be childlike is not to be immature or inexperienced, because no matter how hard we try to avoid it, we are always going to have adult responsibilities and we are always going to be maturing and changing. Rather, I am referring to the several characteristics crucial to living a meaningful and fulfilling life that we often lose sight of as we grow older.
1. Children find joy in the smallest things.
Don’t tell me that you’ve never wished you still got excited about things like picking flowers and popping bubbles. Get excited and find the joy.
2. Children are always willing to learn.
Place yourself in the mindset of a child who knows little about the world and seeks to soak every single tiny piece of new information up like a sponge. No matter how much you’ve learned and experienced, there’s always room for more.
3. Children are unapologetically themselves.
I don’t know about you, but I’d like to someday live in a world where we don’t grow up and learn to cover pieces of ourselves in order to fit societal norms. Children have this quality of carelessness that young adults often struggle with, and it would be beneficial to everyone if we all made the effort to find our way back to it.
4. Children are fearful.
Fear is not something that we should strive to have, by any means. But envision a world in which we all reacted to tragedies the way a child would. I imagine we’d try a lot harder to stop them.
5. Children have fun.
If you’ve ever watched a young child, you’ve probably noticed that they’ll go to any length (writing on walls, dumping out the toy box, playing in the mud, etc.) to have the tiniest bit more fun. Don’t trash your house, but seek every little opportunity to enjoy life a little more.
6. Children are careless.
I understand that the responsibilities of being an adult can be overwhelming, but oftentimes it’s our mindsets, rather than our circumstances, that trap us in a cycle of stress. Children teach us to be less worrisome and more blissful.
7. Children have the biggest hearts.
Whether it’s helping out a friend, giving mommy a big hug when she’s sad, or, in my sister’s case, making at least seven cards a day during school to give to her big sister, children tend to have a greater sense of compassion than most adults I’ve come across. There’s always room to love a little more.
To be childlike is to be joyful, spiritual, and innocent, among several other things that the adult world could use a lot more of. Do not confuse being childlike with childish, and do not dismiss children as inexperienced youngsters who have yet to make an impact on the world. Instead, appreciate the impact they are already making. And above all, don’t be afraid to act like a child.
