Kids can teach us a lot about faith, can’t they?

Have you ever wondered why Jesus said that the kingdom of God belongs to little children? Though there’s no way for me to be entirely sure this side of heaven, I do have a  few theories.

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share some lessons I’m learning from my children about faith. I hope you’ll stick around for this entire series.

What My Kids Taught Me About Faith, Part 1:

In Mark 10:14-16, Jesus said this about children:

‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’  And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

I’ve often wondered about this verse.

What is it about children that us adults need to mimic? What exactly does he mean when he says we need to become like children?

Now that I have kids of my own, I’m starting to understand why Jesus valued them so much.

They have a lot of wonderful qualities, the first of which is transparency.

My boys tells things as they see them.

Case in point: a few years ago, my husband and I took them to Silver Dollar City, a theme park in Branson, MO.

As we were leaving the park, they saw a pregnant woman and one of them blurted out, “Big belly, Mom. She’s got a big belly.”

(And he didn’t say this quietly either. He said it VERY loudly!)

If you’re around little kids very often, you know two things about them:

1) They don’t know how to whisper.

2) They don’t understand what it means to keep something to themselves.

Though this sometimes makes life difficult for us moms and dads, I think it’s a quality Jesus adores.

Little kids don’t worry about what other people think of them. They don’t put on a show to impress. They tell the truth, regardless of whom is listening.

No masks. No pretension. Complete honesty.

Admittedly, this honesty has its downfalls—like when it draws attention to the belly of a pregnant woman at a theme park.

Nonetheless, when it comes down to it, I’d much rather have honest kids for friends than liars.

At least with kids, you don’t have to figure them out. What you see is what you get.

I think Jesus felt the same way.

Jesus isn’t looking for actors, but for authenticity.

Let’s chat…what is the funniest thing your child has ever said in public? 

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week!