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COME LIKE A CHILD
By Patricia Meyers
Mark 10:13-16 “One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he
could touch them and bless them, but the disciples told them not to bother him.
When Jesus saw what was happening, he was very displeased with his disciples. He
said to them, ‘Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of
God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind
of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God.’ Then he took the children into
his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.” (New Living
Translation)
How many articles have you read on that passage of Scripture? How many
sermons? Lessons? Examples? Perhaps some of them have even been your own!
Typically, when I have heard a message on this passage it was centered on the
being like a child part or perhaps Jesus blessing the kids. And what a great
messages they are!
In this little message, however, I want to focus on the ‘coming’ part. Jesus
said “Let the children come.” Let me ask you: How do children come? When a child
comes to a parent, what or why do they come? Let's consider the various reasons
they come and ponder the whys as we go. (As a side note, we are going to use an
example of a healthy child in a healthy home, because we are relating this to
our coming to our Father God and He is not dysfunctional!)
 | Children run to their parents when they are hurt. Usually quickly. And
loudly. They come fast because they believe Mommy or Daddy will make
everything better. |
| They come find a parent when something isn’t working, or they can’t finish
putting something together, or they are stuck on homework or a project. Why?
Because they totally believe Mom or Dad will know what to do. In addition,
they believe Mom or Dad WILL help them. |
| They come charging in the house when they have won a contest or a race or
got an “A” or a prize of any kind. They come to their parents not caring one
bit what is going on at that moment for anyone else but themselves. They have
good news and they come to share it. Often at the top of their lungs. Why?
Because they are certain that Mom and Dad will be as excited about their
success as they are. They believe that their parents won’t care that they were
interrupted when they hear their good news. |
| They come ready to tattle on someone else when the someone else has ‘done
something’. Why? Because they believe that Mom and Dad want fairness and will
want to know the situation as desperately as they wish to tell it. Perhaps
they are met with a different reaction than they bargained for, but their
belief structure is our focus. And they come ready to tell on the wrongdoer!
And who do they want to tell? Mom or Dad. Why? Because they believe Mom or Dad
could and would do something about it. They could make it right! |
| They yell for Mom or Dad when they can’t find something. Even if the
losing of it is their own fault, they come seeking out a parent for help. Why?
Because they think that a parent will surely want to make this task easier for
them. That is not always the case, but they believe it all the same. |
| They come running when they are scared. Especially in the middle of the
night, in the dark. Or perhaps they don’t come running, they just call out.
Why? Because they believe if Mom or Dad were there with them, all would be
fine. No matter what. |
| They come running when a parent returns after being separated from them
for a while. It is amazing how little children never tire of seeing their
parents. Picture the scene in your mind of a Mommy picking up her 14 month old
baby from the nursery. You would think that Mom had been gone for days! The
child comes running with a total belief that their parent is eager to hold
them, so they come as fast as possible because they are just as eager to be
held! |
| Children, however, do not come quite as eagerly when they have done
something wrong. Hiding is the preferred option. Why? (1) They know they
deserve correction and they don’t want it. And because of their belief in the
parents’ stand on fairness, they know they will get the discipline they
deserve. (2) They don’t want the parent to know what they have done because
they will be disappointed. A child does not want to disappoint their parent.
(3) They are ashamed and feel the parent will be ashamed of them. However,
when they do come (or when the parent comes to them) they are met with
correction, yes, but not shame or anger. Just correction and training and
encouragement for improvement. After many episodes of this, the child will
come a little more willingly, not totally willingly because they still know
they have done something to disappoint. |
You can probably think of many other examples, but let's go back over each of
these points and think about how we should come to our Heavenly Father:
| We should run to our Father when we are hurt, because He alone can make
everything better. Maybe it is not with a simple band-aid and a kiss;
sometimes it will be with teaching us to forgive, or showing us how to grow in
a particular area. But He definitely cares and wants us to come to Him like a
child when we hurt. |
| We should go to our Father when we get stuck and need help. Believing that
He will know just what to do should be a natural reaction for us. Of course we
also have to believe in His willingness to help us … which He is, by the way.
He is our Father. And similar to an earthly father, sometimes He helps us by
teaching us how to do something on our own. But, oh how He wants us to come to
Him for help. |
| Our Father rejoices when His children rejoice and very much wants to share
in their successes. He truly is interested in our successes He delights when
we come to Him with good news and praise. His heart is so big and so tender
towards His children. |
| God isn’t any more interested in tattling as any parent you may have met
here in this realm (probably including yourself!). But from the child’s
perspective, we need to have an understanding that God will make things right.
It may not be the way we want it done, or when we would like it done. But we
need to come and discuss our situations with Him, He is a great listener and
gives great advice. He will allow us to vent and perhaps shed some light on
the situation for us. |
| Can we, like a child, believe that God wants to help us with our daily
life stuff? I believe we can, and should. He is not a servant ready to take
our tasks off of our hand, but He has sent the Holy Spirit to be our helper
and we can call on Him, like a child would, in any situation. |
| Where else should we run when we are afraid or feel alone? To whom should
we run when we feel darkness pressing in all around us? Nowhere else but to
our Father. And all will be well when we hide in the shadow of His wing,
perfectly well. |
| Wouldn’t it be lovely to believe like a baby that our Father is eager to
see us and hold us and be with us. We, instead, often feel that we are
pestering Him or getting on His nerves. When in reality, He rejoices at our
coming. Run to Him … His arms await your arrival. |
| And, like Adam and Eve, we feel shame at our wrongdoings. But what do we
know from scripture? He knows what we have done anyway; so why hide. Run to
Him, confess quickly and receive His training and discipline. You will never
feel shame from Him. You will receive all the encouragement you need to try
again. |
Remember the opening verse about the children trying to get to Jesus and the
disciples trying to stop them? The picture I get in my mind is that the children
were aggressively trying to get to Jesus. Eager … joyful … uncaring if He was
tired or busy. They were not uncaring out of rudeness, but uncaring because they
are so eager to be with Him, that they don’t even stop for one second to think
if they should come. And it didn’t occur to them that He wouldn’t want
them to come to Him! He tells us to come like a child … just come! With the
total belief that He eagerly awaits our coming. And we will receive the same
welcome … “Let the children come …” (Mark 10:13-16)
For of such is the kingdom of heaven.
The End.
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