Boy, can kids talk! Who else can say so much? And so early!? And without caffeine!? But we certainly wouldn’t laugh as much without them. Here are actual things kids have said to their parents:
- A 4-year-old told her father, “You can’t be a man, you’re a dad!”
- After getting in trouble, a little boy said, “I’m only 5, I don’t know all the rules yet!”
- A 5-year-old asked, “Mom, are the little flowers on the tomato plant the cheerleaders for the tomatoes?”
- “It’s okay if you forgot to brush your hair today, Mommy,” said a 4-year-old, “as long as you remembered to brush your teeth!”
- After being accused of having ADD, a 6-year-old said: “ADD? What’s that? Does that mean I’m pregnant?”
- A 4-year-old asked, “If Jesus walked on water, could he do a handstand too?” I think Jesus would have laughed at such a question, don’t you?
In Jewish culture, children were considered a great blessing, but they weren’t to take center stage. In fact, in the book of Matthew, the disciples scolded parents for bothering Jesus by bringing them to Him.
But Jesus called a little child to Him and said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
I don’t think Jesus requires that we make mud pies or play LEGO to enter the Kingdom, but here are 3 things we can learn from children today:
- Kids let grownups do the worrying for them.
Many of the grownups I knew were very elderly wrinkled people with starchy suits. They were likely in their 30s but seemed much older! Worry will do that for you. Let’s be more like little children. Let’s leave the worrying to someone else. - Kids know they don’t have all the answers.
Childhood is marked by wonder, intrigue, and trust. Kids ask endless questions. Was everything in black and white when you were a kid? Why is Grandpa’s skin too big for his face?
And they humbly trust Daddy’s answers. A vibrant relationship with Jesus is marked by wonder, childlike trust, and a confidence that our Heavenly Father knows far better than we do. - Kids love being with Daddy.
Each time my car moved the kids wanted to be in it. Many people confide in me that their father wasn’t a delight to be around. God never intended it to be this way. When children are loved by their Papa, they’re crazy about him.
“Delight yourself in the Lord,” says Psalm 37:4 (ESV), “and he will give you the desires of your heart.” What a promise! Are you delighting in your heavenly Father today? Jesus delights in you, rejoices over you. So, let’s lay aside that starchy suit and approach Him today like a little kid.
