Attention, Please

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. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. (Matt. 18:1-5)

Attention: kids seem to crave it  and will do almost anything to get it: ham it up; throw a tantrum; whine, plead, or beg. Even with such theatrics,children are sometimes not listened to; they are not seen. They can easily get lost and forgotten, but sometimes, even worse than being forgotten, they fall prey to misuse and abuse, becoming the target of some one's rage or addiction.

 
Sadly, sometimes, the kind of attention children receive is unwanted and unwarranted as in the case of abuse. When God offers us the option to become a child, He offers us a different kind of attention: loving attention that meets our needs in the best way.  He knows how to stop the tears and sulking. He knows how to hold us so that He can dry those tears. Isn’t it amazing that of all the promises of heaven, the best one, is that God himself will wipe all the tears from our eyes.

 
Still God knows that He wants to spoil us as his children for His delight is in us. Even when others do not esteem us, He does. He knows the reason for every tear, so when He wipes our eyes, He knows exactly what has made us sad or happy. He knows us inside out. Sometimes, that is scary- to be known, but not for a child. A child wants you to see everything- every picture she has drawn, what she learned at school, which one is her best friend,  and she is inquisitive. Thanks goodness because the kingdom belongs to those who have inquiring minds. Jesus, said ask and keep on asking, seek and keeping on seeking. As a child I was quite curious and asked questions, sometimes, at the most inappropriate time. But a question is never ill-timed for Jesus, and He is ready with answers. We have a lot to learn from children.

Children are  not afraid of being known, of being seen, at least until they are taught otherwise. May we grow more childlike every day.

Always willing to be a child,
MJ