Several family graduation ceremonies all over the country – 5 in all! – relayed a similar message celebrating growing up to adulthood.
However, Jesus says otherwise: “Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it” (Mark 10:15).
Intentional disciples do no grow up – they grow down.
What does Jesus mean when He tells us to grow down and become like a child?
At first, I thought it had to do with innocence. But then the LORD unlocked my earliest memory of not wanting food mom served to me for lunch, then setting it all underneath my plate and lying that I had finished. I was 4 years old.
Kids are neither innocent nor pure. Every parent knows that children get sneaky at the youngest of ages!
Although we all are born sneaky, we are not born suspicious. Only after TRUST is violated do we learn suspicion. And sadly we transfer that on to God the Father when things do not go the way we want
Becoming like a child – growing down – has to do with trusting God.
For intentional disciples is both necessary and hard to trust God. In fact, it is so difficult to grow down and trust God wholeheartedly that Jesus final spoken words in Matthew’s Gospel offer the assurance we need.
“Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20)
