"If I fell as much as he does I wouldn't try anymore." Christine said.
"When do we lose that determination?' I replied.
When do we lose that determination? Why does the fear of pain and failure cause us to retreat to our safe places? At what point do we in our adult wisdom become such cowards?
"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:14b-15
What does it mean to receive the Kingdom of God like a little child? Well, there is a lot to that phrase and pastors, scholars and commentators have much to say about it. But I want to look at the thing the Holy Spirit used Joshua to teach me today.
Little children, like my son, do not simply receive the gift of life and stay put. No, little children see life, whether you teach them to or not, as something to conquer and explore. Joshua was not satisfied to lay on his back, so he learned through much effort to role over. He was not content to just be on his stomach, so he strained until he could scoot places. He wasn't happy just to scoot, so he began groaning to pull himself on to anything he could find. He's not satisfied to simply stand, so he's trying to move places on his feet. As he tries to move he falls and yet he keeps trying. It will be the same when he learns to walk and ride a bike.
Are you content with the life you've been given or are you determined to explore all that you could do with this life?
"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you ned someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's Word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." Hebrews 5:11-14
Are you an infant with no goals for growth in your understanding of the truth?
"Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Galatians 5:25
Are you scooting around contently when you should be walking in step with the Holy Spirit?
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14
Are you content to be immobile in your faith when you should be straining to move forward?
We should accept the gift of eternal life, which is the person of Christ, like a baby accepts the gift of his or her life. We should not simply breathe and have a heartbeat, which is living by definition, but rather we should be growing and maturing. Joshua takes chances because he thinks life will be more enjoyable when he can walk, feed himself and get to the cats. This unshakeable, joy-filled, determination shapes so much of his activity. Shouldn't those words describe our faith? Shouldn't we have an unshakeable, joy-filled determination to mature that perseveres through all the bumps, bruises, falls, failures, persecutions and pains?
Accept the Kingdom of God like a little child. Enjoy the gift of new life the Father has given you through the work of Jesus Christ and push further into this gift through the power of the Holy Spirit. Discover more of what God has in store for you. Find all the abilities and joys available to you in this gift of life even if you feel some pain in that process today.
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