Like Little Children

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them.  And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

-Matthew 18:1-3

Has anyone else noticed that with each new year under our belts, stress seems to increase proportionally around the holidays?  There are delicious meals to cook, beloved friends and family to see, gifts to wrap, cards to send, baskets to fill, plastic eggs to hide (& find)… it’s enough to exhaust the best of us! 

During the few weeks leading up to Easter, I couldn’t help but notice that stress resurfacing.  Our giant Target quickly sold out of Easter cards and its candy supply was ransacked.  D.C. seemed to be overtaken by chocolate bunnies, Easter eggs, and pastel everything.  By the time Good Friday rolled around, our minds were racing with to-do lists and we barely remembered what Easter was all about.

I’ve often heard criticism that Easter has been commercialized and kids think of Easter only in terms of all the goodies they’ll get.  As parents and young adults, we want to teach the next generation about the real Easter story, which, to be sure, is a noble cause.  After all, we are the ones who understand it.  We know that Easter’s not about plastic eggs and lots of candy.  We know that Easter is about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and His glorious resurrection. 

But in reading the beginning of Matthew 18, I couldn’t help but remember my own childish innocence and honesty.  As a child, my Easters were far from stressful.  Perhaps I did put a bit too much emphasis on beating my sisters in our annual egg hunt or consuming inhumane amounts of chocolate, but I definitely wasn’t stressed.  I rested, enjoyed time off from school, and celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. 

In Matthew 18, Jesus teaches that we are to humble ourselves like little children.  This isn’t just a suggestion; in fact, if we don’t, He says we will not enter the kingdom of Heaven.  Wow!  This “becoming like children” seems like a vital component of our faith.  It’s a decision we must make daily, to humble ourselves as children.  To gaze upon Jesus with awestruck wonder, to separate ourselves from the darkness of the world--- that’s what we’re called to do.  I love the words of one of my favorite songs from Needtobreathe:

“Let us love like we were children.”

Living life abundantly, loving others unashamedly, and celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, day in and day out.  This lifestyle isn’t just around Christmas and Easter when we remember the real reasons for our celebrations.  We must humble ourselves daily.  We become so caught up in the lie that busyness equals productivity, that if we aren’t stressed we just must not be working hard enough.  Those are lies of this world, but we have a Father who calls us to rest in Him, to abide in Him, to enjoy Him:

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken!  -Psalm 62:5-6

I will give you rest.  -Matthew 11:28

 Let us live like children, serving God and loving Him in all that we do!

PS:  A special video treat for y'all from a church in Houston:::  Dance Your Shoes Off