#232 – Like Little Children

Last Sunday I was preaching in a local church and asked one of the worship leaders to conduct the start of the service, including the children’s address. At the start of this address he walked boldly towards the front of the church brandishing a large length of rope. I became uneasy, not least because I had yet to preach. Anyway, he asked for volunteers from the children to help him with his illustration. At once a flurry of hands went up and a host of children joined him at the front of the church for a tug of war.

Now the worship leader is a highly experienced person when it comes to leading children and his presence at the front was enough to stimulate such an eager reaction. But it made me think how different it would have been if the church was only full of adults. Would there still have been an eager response to his appeal for volunteers? I doubt it.

So why is it that adults fail to show the excitement and eagerness of children? What have we lost? Jesus said that we should become like little children in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:2).

I suppose one reason for this lack of childlike sparkle is that life has dealt us some sobering blows. The premature loss of a loved one, a sudden illness, a broken relationship, failure, unemployment or bankruptcy – any of these can diminish the sense of ‘child’ within and rob us of our innocence.

Another reason is that when we take on greater responsibilities, pressures mount up. We make excuses like ‘I haven’t got time for this or that’. What we really mean is that we choose not to have time for this or that. We speed through life without noticing the beauty of nature, the smile of a person in the street and the many acts of kindness which are directed towards us. Life’s many blessings can go unnoticed and the world may seem a more hostile place than it really is.

Children, on the other hand, make time. They can sit and play for hours with toys or friends in a world of dreams. Everything that comes their way carries a sense of wonder and newness. Each situation is full of possibilities and the concept of failure never enters their minds.

So how can we rediscover our inner child?

The first step, and I believe one of the most important, is to deal with our anxieties. Jesus teaches on a number of occasions that worry should be shunned - see Matthew 6:25 for instance. Anxiety can eat into our souls like maggots into a piece of meat. We need to make a conscience decision to repel anxiety as soon as it rears its head.

Secondly, we need to make time – time for people, time for hobbies, time for relaxation, time for learning – time to simply stop and observe what’s around us. Try walking around your home for 10 minutes and looking at the furniture, the photographs, the souvenirs you have collected – let their memories seep into your heart and relive the joys. Give thanks for all you have and all you are.

But finally, develop rhythm in your life. My job is anything but rhythmical and I need to discipline myself to make time for things that matter. It’s so easy to be stampeded from one job to the next and be driven by the ‘to-do list’. No – every job must be given the time it needs, even if the next one slips down the priority list. A job well done brings satisfaction and makes the next job more worthwhile.

So, as we approach Advent, will we simply cascade through the month worrying about Christmas shopping and parties or will we stop and gaze with childlike awe and wonder at what God has done for us in Christ? Will we put ourselves into the scene in Bethlehem and imagine we are one of the characters – experiencing the excitement and tension of the occasion? Will we experience the miracle of ‘God made man’ or simply turn the page of the calendar into 2012?