Come like little children…..

When I was a little girl (and that was some time ago!), I was constantly told that Jesus loved little children, that He honoured their prayers and that it didn’t matter to Him what colour or shape or size they were….with Jesus, all little children were welcome!

I never questioned this…to me, it was a fact of life. Jesus loved little children because little children were special weren’t they? They were cute and endearing and funny and just….special! Everybody loved little children. So what was the big deal about Jesus loving them too? The only tangible benefit I could see in this whole ‘Jesus loves you’ business was that my prayers for a Raggedy-Ann doll at Christmas were much likelier to be answered than a grown-up’s!

At that age, Jesus to me was not an awesome, powerful God….He was my playmate, my brother…..the friend who always hung around with me. I spoke to Him at all odd times of the day and each time I could hear Him reply! His voice I remember was soft and low and sometimes we even laughed together. I took maximum advantage of His attention and would often ask for small favours - like finding a lost textbook the day before a big test or for weather changes depending on whether I had a picnic or a test the next…..and more often than not, He obliged!! Trust me, He did. And I took it all for granted.

As I grew up however, in a strange inexplicable way, this interaction came to a grinding halt. I woke up one day and suddenly realized that I couldn’t hear His voice anymore. It didn’t bother me much at first. I sort of thought He was taking a sabbatical or something…..but slowly, a kind of panic overtook me….a panic that slowly faded into regret when I realized the process was irreversible….a regret I still haven’t overcome today. Somewhere along my journey from childhood to adulthood, I’d lost the ability to converse with the Lord unselfconsciously and with nonchalant ease. Even today, though I have a satisfyingly deep relationship with Him, it is nowhere close to my experience as a child.

In Matthew 19:14, Jesus said “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven 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”. The NIV study Bible says Jesus was referring to the merits of a child’s nature where natural openness and receptivity at the acceptance of gifts abound. I however like to think differently….

In my view, this one little statement whisks us back to the beginning of time, to the book of Genesis where Adam and Eve frolicked in Eden, unaware of nakedness or shame. These were feelings alien to them until that fatal bite into the taboo fruit from the ‘No-No’ Tree. In effect, Adam and Eve were like children – innocent, unbiased, free of hate, prejudice, fear or anxiety. Their interaction with the Lord was personal and face-to-face …….until Adam fell.

That very moment mankind’s innocence was shattered. Since then, I believe the only time we humans glimpse that primal gift of blissful naiveté and artless, guileless state of mind, is in the genuinely simple nature of children.

In my understanding, Jesus demands that we let go of our prejudices that discern between colour, caste, race, religion and creed and learn to love each other the way children do. Children care not if their friends are poor or ugly or fat or even dirty! They do not shy away from another small grubby hand offered in friendship because the owner of that hand has AIDS. They don’t stop to think that they’ve draped their arms around another small body wearing shabby clothes. They don’t see people in terms of black and white, just a world full of colours merging in harmony. In effect, children reflect primal innocence…they remind God of His first human relationships and I think, that’s why Jesus loves them more.

When Adam fell, his eyes of discernment were opened wide. Today, Jesus demands we close them again and walk in faith in His Light instead…….that we give up our view of the world and revert to the innocence of our childhood……are we up to the challenge?