Childlike, not childish

Children are persistent in clamoring for attention. When I am with them in a casual setting, it becomes hard to count how many times I am asked to "watch" someone do something or other. Then there are stories they want to tell, and jokes, and problems they want to share with someone. This persistence goes hand-in-hand with their directness. "I like you," a young girl said to me recently. I had talked to her for about two minutes before she made this pronouncement.

Jesus told His disciples that if they wanted to enter the kingdom of heaven, they would have to become like children. Being around children is an opportunity, then, for study and reflection. What parts of childhood should be maintained, and what parts are childish and must be discarded as we grow towards adulthood?

When we are children, we are afraid of monsters, and bad guys, and fires. When we grow up, we turn our fears towards people--we fear rejection, and ridicule, and isolation. Children hide under their beds so evil won't find them, and grown-ups hide our true selves because we are afraid of what people will think of us. We certainly don't ask for attention--is it because we are really all that unselfish, or is it because we are afraid of all that comes along with needing people besides ourselves?

What if we were to try behaving more like children, while being careful to separate the childish from the childlike? We would be quick to point out the positives, quick to express appreciation, quick to smile. We would ask people for help, for time, for attention. We would talk about what we loved, including God, with excitement and a lack of concern. We would be the people God made us to be without being embarrassed if some people thought we were a little goofy for it.

And if we got scared, we would feel safe by simply remembering that our father was near.