Recently, I noticed a child who was crawling on her knees around the church during Mass. As she passed her mother, she would give a sideways glance to see what her expression was. I realized she was indirectly seeking permission to roam around like that. This made me think. Are we like this with God? Do we seek the will of God in every decision we make? Do we invite the Holy Spirit into all aspects of our lives? Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
I sat down to reflect on what it would be like to be a child before Jesus. Matthew 18:3-4 says, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” I wondered, why do I have to lay down my ego and humble myself? Can I not just come to God as I am? I understood that if I can lay aside my ego and come as a humble child, I could sit on the lap of Jesus. However, as an adult I cannot. As an adult, I have habits that I don’t want to give up, which then hinders my closeness to Jesus. But through the humility of childlike innocence, I have the privilege of hearing the whisper of Jesus’s voice.
If this is really true, then it brings me to another question. Jesus says that the prerequisite for entering the Kingdom of God is to become like a child! Now I wonder, what is the requirement to remain in it? For me, the answer is that I must always remain a child before Jesus. Children always dare to ask. For them it doesn’t matter if they like the moon, they will tell their parents without hesitation, “I want to have the moon!” There is something about a child asking his Father that melts his heart, it is the same way with our Father in Heaven. Children are also very trusting; if their parents or elders say something or teach them a theory, they believe it as they have such unwavering trust.
When children are afraid, they always flee to their parents. They do not think of fighting the danger by themselves, instead they seek help. Likewise, when we face temptations, we must remember to seek the help of the Holy Spirit. Many times we think we can overcome the problem by ourselves and end up making mistakes. Instead, if we ask God for help, we will be successful because He is a loving Father. In Romans 8:15-17, St Paul explains our identity in Christ as sons and daughters of the living God. He says that since we are His children, we are also heirs of the Kingdom of God. We have a Father in heaven who delights in His children. May our Heavenly Father delight in us and take pride in carrying us on His shoulders!
Joyal Joseph, UK