Lenten Reader | Day 24

April 1st, 2025

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. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Matthew 18:1-5

Our passage today from Matthew 18 has one very important word: LIKE. It does not say to become childISH. To have childish faith would be self-centered, demanding, and unthankful. It would be immature and undesirable. Certainly not what God expects from us.

To be childLIKE is a whole different story. First, we recognize our need for his care and protection. Just as a child depends on their parents for this, we – with our childlike faith – depend on our heavenly Father. Second, God wants us to trust – just like a child. Trust that He made us, knows us, loves us, is with us, and enjoys us. Third, being childlike is to remember that we are never fully developed or perfect. We are always in the process of growth. We never outgrow our need to lean on Him; to be weak so He can be strong. Fourth, children are special to Him as He demonstrated several times. He told his disciples to “let the little children come.” We all are special to Him. He planned us from the very beginning, and He has a special purpose for our lives.

To be LIKE a child also involves being filled with wonder and awe at everything God has created and done for you. We sometimes get so involved and busy in our adulting that we miss the beauty and peace and excitement of the world around us. Just take a minute to stop and enjoy.

Every year during VBS we ask our kids daily to give us “God sightings.” We get some very simple answers from “I had a bug on my chair” to others that say they saw a beautiful sunset. Can we be childlike to see that God is everywhere and in everything and stop long enough to enjoy even the smallest? I challenge you today to see God like a child and form a relationship with God that is childlike.

Molly Lloyd