Reflection— Become Like A Child

Estimate reading time: 5 minutes

I wondered what our Lord Jesus meant when He said,

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
—Matthew 18:3

As I observed and reflected on my own children, God gave me much to think about.

One thing that has especially inspired me is this:

Though children can be impatient, selfish, and still have much to learn about loving others, they also have not yet learned to hide their thoughts, feelings, or their true selves because of the fear of man or the pressure to appear a certain way.

Even my nine-year-old daughter told me one day that sometimes she feels like she is “exploding” when she has to suppress who she really is. She shared this with me after I encouraged her to be honest with me and assured her that she was safe to tell me what was truly on her heart.

How much have we learned to hide as we grow older?

How often do we suppress what is truly going on in our hearts because of shame, because we do not want to appear awkward before others, or because we grew up in environments where it did not feel safe to be ourselves?

As I reflected on Genesis 3, I also wondered: What did Adam and Eve do after they sinned against God?

They hid.

I can understand why a thief would hide from a police officer who is coming to punish him.

But Adam and Eve were like children hiding from their gracious, patient, loving, and kind Father—the very One who had prepared a perfect home for them and delighted to walk with them. Even then, He already knew that one day, at immeasurable cost to Himself, He would make a way for them to be reconciled to Him.

As a parent, I have had a small glimpse of this.

When my oldest daughter began hiding her true self from me, my heart broke. I am far from a perfect parent. I have failed to love her well at times. I have been impatient. I have spoken harshly when she courageously opened up her heart to me. I understand why she would sometimes hesitate to be honest with me.

Yet it still grieved me.

We tend to look only at outward appearances and judge what is true by what we can see with our physical eyes. Yet it is our hearts and our thoughts—hidden from everyone else—that often reveal most truthfully who we really are. God sees our hearts and knows our thoughts. He cares about who we truly are.

As I continued to seek the Lord and pursue His heart, I found myself wondering what was in the heart of our perfect Father when His beloved children, created in His own image, chose not only to disobey Him and violate His perfect law, but also to hide from Him because they no longer trusted His goodness and love toward them.

As I thought about this, I could not help but cry.

How heartbreaking that must have been. And how much must it grieve God when His beloved children hide from Him?

Yet He is not like me.

Where I have lacked patience, grace, and kindness toward my children, He has never ceased to be perfectly patient, gracious, and kind.

He is the very One against whom we have sinned, yet He was the first to pursue reconciliation with us. Though we broke His heart, He willingly took upon Himself the punishment our sins deserved. Instead of giving us what we deserved, He graciously gave Himself to us so that we might know Him, delight in Him, and enjoy Him forever.

As I continued reflecting on Jesus’ words, I wondered whether perhaps part of humbling ourselves like a little child is no longer hiding from our heavenly Father.

Perhaps this is one way God has helped me understand why Jesus called us to become like little children. As I watch my toddler and baby, I notice that they do not worry about protecting their image. They simply come to us. In the same way, humility no longer hides behind the image we want others to see but comes to our Father as we truly are, trusting that His love and mercy are greater than our sin and shame.

A little child simply comes without trying to be impressive or pretending to be someone they are not.

A little child trusts and depends on the one who loves them.

And there is so much more God can teach me through my children as I walk with them in their early years. At the same time, they are blessed when we reflect the love of our perfect Father to them, teach them His commandments and, more importantly, help them know Him personally through His Word and His Spirit.

May we trust more and more that the God of the universe knows us and loves us personally. He desires that we repent of our sins, be reconciled to Him, and enjoy a personal, intimate, and eternally delightful relationship with Him.

May we no longer hide our true selves from the One who is loving, gentle, and kind.

May we humble ourselves like little children who willingly come to Jesus, believing that He welcomes all who seek Him.

May we come to Him as little children come to their parents, bringing Him our questions, our fears, our desires, our sorrows, and our joys.

May we trust Him more, delight in Him more, and simply enjoy being with Him as beloved children of our perfect Father.

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
—Hebrews 4:16

P.S. I have been enjoying writing down these reflections for the sake of my own walk with the Lord and for the loved ones God has graciously placed in my life. I share them with an open hand.

If anything I write doesn’t resonate with your understanding of Scripture, or if you ever feel uncomfortable with me sharing reflections like these, please feel free to let me know. My desire is always to honor God, remain faithful to His Word, and strengthen our fellowship in Christ. I truly value your honesty, encouragement, and correction.❤️May God bless you.