Matthew 18: 1-4 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (NIV)
Serving as a youth minister, paid and volunteer, for a number of years at a small church in the Denver metropolitan area, I had a loving friend named Shirley. A retired woman, that saint dedicated herself to volunteer ministry work at that church. She was an expert quilter and a longtime quilting teacher.
Every summer for many years, that church carried out VBS. For those five days every summer, Shirley was there to teach the kids arts and crafts. I was in my 30’s at the time. I always carried out the Bible teaching sessions, and sometimes I felt as though I would not make it through all five days. And year after year, Shirley would say, “This is the last year I am going to do this.” Her statement was more emphatic each year. Yet year after year, Shirley would come all prepared to teach. She did so up until she died of cancer. She loved those children. And the children loved her.
Throughout the year, after a typical church service, many students would rush to the fellowship hall and load up on donuts. After having two or three, they would then run around the church, inside, outside, or both. On the flip side, after worship Shirley was one to take the fellowship time to socialize. A meticulous crafter, she did not remind me of a kid in her actions. Yet Shirley was always young at heart. She was quick to laugh, and simply full of life. I never once thought of her as “old.”
Shirley is in the kingdom of heaven now. She fits the type of person Jesus was talking about, yet not because she acted decades younger than she was. The reason: She was dependent on God.
When Jesus states a person needs to become like a little child in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, dependence on God is what He is talking about. Children are utterly dependent. Children need daily help from their parents. Children need to learn much. (Many children love to learn if the learning has an element of adventure to it rather than being boring.) And children need guidance and encouragement. And first and foremost, children need love.
Truth is, all of us people need daily help from our heavenly Father. All of us need to keep learning from God. All of us need daily guidance and encouragement from the Lord God Almighty. And first and foremost, all of us need true love. “God is Love” (I John 4:16).
After graduating from college, I backpacked the entire Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. It took me 164 days. It was one of the greatest accomplishments in my life. I loved the hiking, and I would engage in thinking galore as I spent hours and hours of hiking. After one afternoon of hiking and thinking in Maine, I stood at a vista pondering. And that pondering led to my personal embrace of a consideration which I decided was true. I wrote it down on a piece of paper. Turns out, that conviction is the principle being taught by Jesus in this passage. Thus I close with my quote from 1990:
“True freedom is an acceptance of your absolute dependence on God.”
Hunter Irvine
