Suffer the little children to come unto me...

Unlike most women, I've never been very comfortable around little children, Sure, I think they're cute when they're cooing and gurgling, waving their chubby arms around or trying to stand up and falling back down on their nappy-clad little backsides. But I'm the first one to back away when someone attempts to hands me a baby (what if I don't hold them right and their heads fall off or something!) and I definitely prefer to be far, far away when the little tyke is in a cantankerous mood. I just didn't think I had the patience or the wisdom to deal with a child. So you can imagine how much I would have dreaded being left alone with one.

Recently though, I was. A friend brought his tot along to visit my parents and by a process of elimination, it fell to me to entertain the little one. Truth be told, I was very nervous. What could I possibly say to this two-year old bundle of energy, looking up at me with so much expectation, that would keep her engaged for two hours? Turned out, I didn't need to say much. She managed most of the conversation herself. Opening up a bundle of toys she'd brought along, she transported me along with her into a world of imagination and wonder. For the next two hours, we proceeded to cut up plastic fruits and vegetables to make a plastic dinner, vanquished imaginary mosquitoes by cutting off their imaginary noses, poked fun and laughed at my very perplexed dog who clearly didn't get the joke and for a few moments even sat together in just companionable silence, saying nothing much at all. Her vibrant energy, her bubbly happiness, her simple expectations...they all took me by surprise. And at the end of her visit, I was very sorry indeed to see her being hauled off home.

Looking back at the experience, I've discovered that I enjoy talking to and spending time with children, way more than I do with adults. Save my husband and my parents, I rarely reveal all the chinks in my armour to any one else, not even those I consider close friends. The reason? People are complicated. 

You trust some one with your vulnerabilities and at some point, they will exploit it. You give of your time, love, effort or money to some one else and at some point they will turn their backs on you in ingratitude. You admire someone's ideals, integrity and moral character and at some point they will fall off their pedestal and let you down badly. No, I'm not being pessimistic. This is just how people behave, for the simple reason that we are human and we are flawed.

Honestly, adults make me weary with all the manipulations and mind games. The pressure of having to constantly put up mental and emotional shields to keep from getting hurt or used, is literally exhausting. Children are different though. In their innocence and wonder, they are a little slice of Eden before the fall. You can tell them your silliest fears and they won't laugh at you. You can speak of your deepest ambitions and they'll agree you have something going there. They take the focus off of life's problems and dwell instead on its magic. They don't look back with regret at the past or with worry towards the future. They focus on the present, the possibilities of today, the joy of now. They don't wear masks, they don't pretend they like you if they don't. They don't discriminate if you are rich or poor or fat or thin or put you down because you have opinions they don't agree with. All they want is your time, interest and attention. And I think I can deal with that.

It's only after my encounter with my young friend that I understand why Jesus prized the company of little children so much, that He was willing to entertain them even after a long day's work. After constantly side-stepping verbal traps laid by the authorities, dealing with being criticized and targeted on a daily basis and counseling and healing unending lines of people who sought Him out all the time, having the selfless attention of a little child who wanted nothing but the pleasure of His company, must have been so refreshing. He loved their artless natures and their way of dispensing unblemished affection so freely and without bias. He loved that He could be Himself with them. And I think, He loved that in them, He could see the lost innocence of Eden.

Today if you are looking to please God, to ensure your eternity will be spent in His presence, hear Jesus when He says: "The kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children and anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child, will NEVER enter it" (Luke 18:16-17). 

Leave behind your ego, your manipulations and schemes, your pride, fears, doubts, selfishness, greed, anger, bias and materialistic preoccupations. Instead, live like a child, full of the joy of life, opening your eyes to the gifts you have received from the Father and seeking nothing more than to share them with a friend. And then truly, not only the Kingdom of God, but a life of contentment and peace, will be yours too.

Matthew 18:1-4 - "At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." 

Update: Just realized I've written a similar post based on my own experiences as a child. Read it here.