Matthew 18:3

³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Audacious, Unwavering Child-Like Faith…I Wanna Live Like That!

Greetings All!  I kept coming back to these statements after spending some time with my little men this past weekend.  They’re as different as night and day in oh so many ways.  The oldest, “E”, can be kind of a loner like his “D” (Btw, that’s what they call me). He’s a sweet, kind little boy that can also drive you crazy at times because his light is always on “Go” (unless he’s asleep!).  That part reminds me of his Dad…” a chip off the old block.”

The youngest, “Little B”, is always smiling and laughing, playful and seemingly always hungry (every time I see the boy he’s eating!). He reminds me a lot of my daughter Taylor (Yes “T” …1^st letters are how we roll) at his age, except for the eating part.  She always had a smile on her face and never met a stranger with her sweet “Hey.”  We even had to have a few talks with her about befriending “everyone” she saw, which almost seemed contradictory when explaining this to a child who was so loving.

However, what is consistent about all of them is just as telling.  Although the following doesn’t come directly from me but from something I read, it still fits:

 A young child is destitute of ambition, pride, and haughtiness and is therefore a good example for us. Children are characteristically humble and teachable. They aren’t prone to pride or hypocrisy.

Humility is a virtue rewarded by God; as James says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10).

Although faith is not mentioned in Matthew 18:1–5, we know that it isn’t just humility that ushers a person into heaven; it is faith in the Son of God. A humble, unpretentious faith could rightly be called a “childlike faith.” When Jesus wanted to bless the children, He said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Mark 10:14–15). How does a child receive a gift? With openness, honesty, and unbridled joy. That type of happy authenticity should be a hallmark of our faith as we receive God’s gift in Christ.

Amen.

I couldn’t complete this Wednesday Word without giving a shout out and thank you so very much to our amazing volunteers for your work at the fair last week.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: without you, our donors, our underwriters and everyone else who gave of your time, gifts and talents we simply could not do what we do each year at the fair.  Your faithfulness has implications far beyond last week…Lord bless you all.  Until next year….

Grace and Peace,

Dennis