I'm in a contemplative mood. Maybe it has something to do with the music I'm listening to ("Completely" by Ana Laura), or maybe it has to do with just wanting to think. Whatever the reasoning behind it all, the result is this post.
Why? Why was it so easy to believe when we were little?
Why? Why was it so easy to recall our favorite Bible stories every day when we were little, but now find it hard to remember even a single verse in the midst of our busy lives?
Why? Why did God seem so much closer to our hearts and minds before we "grew up"?
Why? Why was it that I prayed nearly without ceasing when I was 8, but now find it hard to find the words to say?
Why? Why did I allow God to be so involved in every sector of my life without even thinking, and now I have to work at making Him a part of everything?
Why, why, why???
Matthew 18:2-4 says, "And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, 'Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'" (ESV)
In my ESV study Bible, the notes on these verses say "The humility of a child consists of childlike trust, vulnerability, and the inability to advance his or her own cause apart from the help, direction, and resources of a parent."
What am I saying? That we should swim against the current of our culture? Without a doubt YES!
In modern America there is an urgency to grow up, move out once 18, and learn how to become as independent as possible. We don't want to feel like we need somebody else. The divorce rate is enough to prove that! Sure I'll marry you, but only so long as you fulfill my lustful needs. Once I tire of you I'm going to terminate our relationship and move on to the next person. I don't need a "life partner" because the word "partner" implies that I would need someone's help for survival. I view that as a weakness.
You get the picture.
When we grow up, we suddenly have only one need: to be completely independent of others.
Yet God is calling us to so much more than that! If we are dependent upon Him, then everything will get taken care of. If our only thought is for Him, then our lives can be nothing but complete and utter bliss! We'll soon forget that we thought we had the power to take matters into our own hands and will rest securely in the knowledge that He will take care of everything.
Hmmm, it brings new meaning to the verse that says "Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 36:10)," and also Psalm 23:2 where it says, "He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters."
I pray that I am able to return to my childlike faith, for it is when I humble myself that God shows Himself to be strong! Amen and amen.
Alex. I have often wondered about why young children seem to have more of a grasp of reality than most people so when they "grow up".
ReplyDeleteI have also wondered about that verse (Matthew 18:2-4). This post has actually made it clear to me. That makes a lot of sense.