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, NIV)
These words have been like a pinball, bouncing back in forth in my mind as I look back on my summer. The last couple months have been surrounded by sticky fingers, shrill voices, and sloppy hugs delivered in crazy packages we fondly call children. In other words, life has been pretty good. Between working the classic ‘home from school so I’m working at a summer camp’ job, as well as spending an as much time as possible being an auntie to my own little nuggets, I have spent a majority of my summer with kiddos. During all this time playing tag, eating snacks, and changing diapers, I’ve realized that kids have something special about them that we, oftentimes, seem to lose track of when we grow up.
Kids. Niños. Children. Kiddos. Buckaroos. Tiny humans. However you refer to them, you have to love ‘em, but where do you even begin with them? Not only are children the singularly most energized and, frankly, impossible little humans to deal with at times, but they are also the most innocent and joyful beings to ever walk this planet. I am left in complete admiration of them.
What do they have? What superpower or ability do children possess that we are called to “Become like little children?” Well, simply put, children have the advantage of fresh eyes, of an untainted perspective. Kids look at the world from a whole different viewpoint than we adults see – and I’m not talking about the difference in elevation.
The older I’ve become, the more I’ve witnessed myself struggling with cynicism and bitterness towards the world and the people in it. There is a lot of anger and hurt that I carry while moving past offenses made by me and against me.
But children, they haven’t started to develop these views of the world yet. I’ve always envied how kids have this incredible ability to forgive and forget so easily. One minute they can be playing together, have a fight, and fifteen minutes later they are once again inseparable. I can’t tell you how many times a boy would run up to me in tears because he and his little buddies got a bit too rough during play time and then, after having five minutes to brood by himself, would be back to playing with them.
I admire how inquisitive kids are and how they are eager to learn. While the incessant cries of “Teacher, what is this?” “How come it looks like that?” and "What are we doing next?” can be exasperating at times, you have to smile at how eager children are to know more. Kids look at something and question it. It doesn’t matter if you’ve explained it five times; they still want to see everything from every angle their little minds can imagine. They simply want to know about their world!
These little tiny humans like to think outside the box. During craft time, you give a kid a project and show them a demonstration of what it’s supposed to look like. So many times, the children would come up to us at the end with their finished project and, while it often did not look like the demo, it was more beautiful and unique because they made it their own.
That’s the other thing about kids: They are completely and entirely their own person. They are not afraid to be themselves. Some kids are energetic, some quiet, but rarely have I ever seen a kid apologize for just being him or herself. To go along with that, I’ve noticed that kids could care less what you look like or how you act, they love you anyway. They even look up to you and want to be like you someday!
Because of all these things kiddos are always been eager and willing to help. They want to know more and to be around us adults; they want to be right in on the action. Even at though he is a little less than two years old, my nephew loves to help by doing chores like recycling or watering the garden because it’s something he and his mom or dad do together.
God wants us to be just like these little kids. He wants us to be inquisitive and eager to learn about this beautiful world He so lovingly created. He wants us to think outside our box, outside our comfort zone and be unique. God wants us to not worry about pleasing others or caring about what the differences other people may hold, but to simply love them for who they are. We aren’t supposed to apologize for how He created us because each quirk and aspect of our being was created with a purpose in mind. God wants us to always have a willing and able spirit and looks to the needs of others before our own. He wants us to be like children and easily forgive and forget about offenses made against us. God wants us to see the world with fresh eyes again.
Next time you see the toothy grin of a child, remember to give your perspective a check and see the world with fresh eyes.
