Child-Like
Matthew 18: 2-4 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.
Recently, one of my aunts passed away. She was given a small, Appalachian church funeral with family and friends. While there, I watched a very well-behaved, young boy. He was about four years old, and he was carrying a toy. He wasn’t quite tall enough to see my aunt inside her casket. So, he climbed a step that connected the floor to the church stage. Then he peeked over and into the casket. Emotionless, he stepped down, walked over to a pew, and began quietly playing with his toy. Immediately, I thought his emotionless response was a product of his age. I thought he wasn’t old enough to grasp the severity of death. I was wrong.
A few moments later, my mother introduced him to me. Sadly, I cannot remember his name. Nevertheless, I’ll never forget what he said. She asked him three questions in my presence. Question one: What happened? He answered calmly, “She died”. Question two: Where is she? He answered flatly, “In heaven”. Question three: Who is she with? He answered confidently, “With Jesus and the angels”.
Mom then took him away to introduce him to other people, and I was left to contemplate what he said. Before I met him, I was thinking about the “why” questions. You know the ones, Why is there suffering?, Why doesn’t God do something about it? Yada, Yada, Yada. However, this little boy and his child-like faith not only simplified the situation, but he also compressed it and purified it. And I need to spend more time with Matthew 18: 2-4.