Fathers and Mothers: Devotions from Time of GraceSýnishorn

Being a Child of Parents: Teach Your Parents to Become Children Again Little children are so used to having everything automatically provided for them--clothing, food, shelter, transportation--that trust comes naturally to them. This makes it easier for them to believe in Jesus too. They simply know that Jesus loves them. They simply trust that Jesus will help them. As we grow older, however, and grow more self-sufficient and self-reliant, we lose the faith that everything we need will be provided. Adults know that they have to work for everything they get. The problem comes when adults get confused and start to think maybe they have to work for God's love and earn his blessings. Grown-ups may think if they act better, swear less, drink less, or give more, they might earn a better place in heaven. Perhaps the “achievers” come to think that they are better than other people and deserve everything they plan to get from God. Or worse--perhaps they fear that because they have made so many messes they have forfeited God’s favor. Let Jesus whisper this in your ear. Ready? “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). This kind of “second childhood” isn’t senility. It’s reality; it’s a very happy state of mind to live in.