Live like a child. A child does not dwell in worries. A child does not think about death. A child looks forward to life.

A child is always longing to belong, to have friends and to be happy. A child always wants to explore. A child craves to mature. So grow in prosperity and security. Be mature and embrace the meaning of maturity. 

If you have a dream or an aspiration, do not procrastinate. Work for it. Focus on that aspiration and make your daily deeds an instrument towards the fulfillment of your dream. Make every step of the way a goal. A daily goal, a weekly goal, a monthly goal, a yearly goal till you achieve that aspiration. 

If you are sick, depressed, feeling lonely, downtrodden, feeling unhappy or in a bad relationship and you just want to cry; Go ahead and cry. There is absolutely nothing wrong with letting go, after you let the tears drop, you can feel that momentary relief. Now don’t let that feeling go. Hold on to it. It is your lifeline.  

Do not live in fear of rejection. Share your happiness, prosperity and abundance. Be nice. Be kind. As you exit this corporeal life, leave something behind of yourself for posterity, for others to grow and learn from.

Most parents instinctively love their children but lack the skill to teach their children. Their failure to be NICE or notice any cognitive disability can cause fear and anxiety in children. Which can make children worry about repercussions or bad consequences for any failure, unapproved or questionable behavior. When a child begins to feel disconnected; anxiety, fear and worry settles in. Be alert for the signs.

Since the creation of humans, children have always lived with a positive attitude. All over the world, children start with the same blessings. Children played. Children loved. Most of all they learned. Learning can be for the positive or the negative. The behavior of adults have an impact on the growth of the children. The bitterness and anger of the adults are easily passed on to the children. But the same is true about all the positive and good behavior. Somehow the negatives are always easier to learn. The children learned the material advantages of segregation, prejudice and deprivation. This breeds vanity and greed. The educated adults feed the children’s minds with the idea of “the end of times” or “armageddon”. The child grows up to be an adult, then the cycle continues. Break the cycle of bitterness. Let the cycle be about prosperity, sharing, love and happiness.

The greatest teacher of all said, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” There will always be good in humanity and there is always hope, because God blesses humanity with the innocence of children. Every generation is born with a clean slate. This is the cycle of life. T his is humanity’s perpetual cycle of hope.

Let us not blame solely the new generation for their failures. We the old generation have our hands in the guilty pot. So, let us teach our children how to be nice and for those who have the talent to write (compose) or build, leave something good behind as a foundation for them to learn from. Because the future is not preordained and their choices will create their future.

As an adult you will face challenges, defeats, heartaches, betrayal, loneliness, rejection, and bullies who will do their best to deprive, cheat, insult and put you down. But close your eyes, let your mind focus and find that child in you and rise.

A better look at the quote:

Mark 10:14–15

“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.”

I see this passage as much more than a lesson about children being innocent or having “childlike faith.” It is a lesson for adults about what faith is actually about.

Look at what Jesus actually did.

The adults were deciding whether the children should be allowed to come to him. His disciples tried to stop them. Jesus became indignant, told them not to hinder the children, took the children into his arms, and blessed them.

He did not ask what they could contribute.

He did not ask them to prove themselves.

He did not demand that they understand him.

He did not recruit them into a cause.

He simply welcomed them.

And then Jesus used those children to teach the adults.

Children Have Value Because They Exist

Throughout history, adults have often viewed children according to what they can eventually provide: carrying on a family name, providing labor, creating wealth, maintaining a tradition, advancing a religious or political cause, or fulfilling the ambitions of their parents.

Jesus presents a different attitude.

A child does not have to be useful to have value.

A child does not have to accomplish anything to deserve care.

A child does not have to agree with an adult to deserve respect.

A child’s worth exists before the child has the ability to give anything back.

Jesus demonstrated that by simply receiving the children, taking them into his arms, and blessing them.

Adults Have a Responsibility

The passage also places a responsibility on adults:

“Do not hinder them.”

That means more than physically keeping children away. Adults should not use children as tools for their own purposes—whether for status, power, money, reputation, ideology, or personal fulfillment.

Children are dependent upon adults, and that dependence creates a responsibility.

Adults are supposed to protect them, teach them, provide for them, correct them when necessary, and give them the opportunity to grow into their own person.

Teaching is not the same as programming.

Guidance is not the same as manipulation.

Discipline is not ownership.

Love is not control.

What Should Adults Teach Children?

“Let the little children come to me.”

The children were not there to serve the adults.

The adults were responsible for the children.

Teach them to:

Be prepared, so they can be ready for what life requires;

Do not waste—invest, by preserving, developing, and making productive use of the resources, opportunities, abilities, and potential entrusted to them;

Be helpful and kind, by using what they have to benefit both others and themselves, while treating people with consideration;

and

Think, speak, and do no malice, avoiding intentional harm to or malicious deprivation of others.

These are simple enough for a child to remember, yet broad enough to guide a lifetime.

They do not require a child to understand complicated philosophy or theology.

A child can understand:

Be prepared.

Don’t waste what you have.

Help people and be kind.

Don’t intentionally hurt, tease or deprive others.

Those simple principles can become the foundation upon which a person develops greater understanding throughout life.

What Does “Like a Little Child” Mean?

Jesus then turns the lesson toward the adults:

“Anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

I don’t think Jesus was telling adults to become childish.

He was showing them something about faith.

A little child comes to someone who can provide what the child cannot provide for himself. The child receives rather than claiming that he has earned what is being given.

The child comes without credentials.

Without accomplishments.

Without status.

Without an argument about why he deserves more than someone else.

The child comes with empty hands.

That is the example Jesus puts before the adults.

Faith is not about demonstrating how important, intelligent, powerful, or deserving we are. It begins with recognizing that there are things we cannot provide for ourselves and being willing to receive.

The child trusts, comes, and receives.

The adult often wants to understand everything first, establish his qualifications, prove his worth, or determine what he deserves.

Jesus tells the adult to learn something from the child.

Faith Is Not a Transaction

This also changes the way I understand the relationship between faith and God.

If faith becomes a transaction—I do this, therefore I deserve that—then the focus has shifted away from trust and toward earning.

But the child in this passage is not negotiating.

The child is not presenting credentials.

The child is not trying to impress Jesus.

The child simply comes.

Jesus receives the child.

That is a powerful picture of faith.

Faith is not a payment made to obtain something from God. Faith is the willingness to come, trust, and receive.

The child comes with empty hands.

The child receives.

The adult is told to learn from that.

Don’t Turn Children Into Minions

This is where the passage also has an important lesson for adults.

Children should not be turned into little soldiers for adult causes.

They should not be manipulated into becoming extensions of an adult’s ego, politics, religion, reputation, or ambitions.

Teach them.

Guide them.

Protect them.

Give them principles.

Give them knowledge.

Teach them the difference between right and wrong.

But also allow them to think, question, learn, make mistakes, and eventually make their own choices.

Children are not possessions.

They are not tools.

They are not trophies.

They are not recruits.

They are human beings entrusted to the care of adults.

Jesus Put the Children First

There is something especially important about the order of events in this passage.

The adults thought they were deciding whether the children should have access to Jesus.

Jesus corrected the adults.

He did not tell the children to first become worthy.

He did not tell them to first understand his teachings.

He did not tell them to first make a commitment.

He said:

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them.”

Then he used them as an example to the adults.

The children were not there to serve the adults.

The adults were responsible for the children.

And the children demonstrated something the adults needed to learn.

The Lesson

Perhaps that is one of the simplest and deepest lessons in the passage.

A child’s value is not determined by what the child can do for an adult.

And faith is not determined by how much an adult can prove.

The child comes with empty hands.

The child receives.

The adult is told to learn from that.

Jesus was not recruiting children to serve an adult-made system. He was protecting them from being hindered by the adults—and then showing those same adults what genuine faith can look like.

The lesson is therefore about both how we treat the vulnerable and how we approach God.

Care for the child.
Protect the child.
Teach the child.
Do not manipulate the child.

And for the adult:

Come with empty hands.
Be willing to receive.
Trust.
Learn.
And do not let your pride prevent you from understanding what a child can teach you about faith.