Scripture
“People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “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 took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.”
MARK 10:13-16
Quotes/Color
“Even though you want to try to, never grow up.”
Peter Pan
“Life’s biggest tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.”
Ben Franklin
“When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”
C.S. Lewis
Context
Fun fact.
Did you know that the average adult laughs an average of 15 times each day? Interesting, right? And that actually doesn’t sound half bad… “Bryan, that’s like once an hour, every hour that I’m awake. I will take it. Sounds like a fun day.” You’re right. It sounds decent… that is, until you hear that the average preschooler laughs an average of 400 times a day.
400 times a day. About 3,000 times a week. That hardly leaves time for bathroom breaks and meals. That means a 4 year old laughs 26 times for every one time you do (unless you’re 4), for those keeping count. Wild.
Application
So here is a question…
Do you think the preschoolers are onto something? Do you think there is something to the 4-year old’s ability to be able to laugh so generously? Do you think there is something to living life with such levity? Aren’t you a bit jealous of that, if you’re being honest with yourself?
Never grow up.
This topic is near and dear to me… Because it is actually the credo by which my high school small group buddies and I try to live by. We take not growing up pretty seriously. We have since we were about 17, so much so that we have nicknamed ourselves “The Boys Who Won’t Grow Up.” (Self administered nicknames are always a red flag, but it is what it is…)
Declaring ourselves guys who will never grow up… Now does this mean that we are committed to a life of boyishness and immaturity? Do we lack seriousness and diligence?
Not at all. Quite the opposite, hopefully.
It is not a choice to stay boyish, it is a commitment to stay childlike. It is not that we want to lack seriousness, it is that we want to choose levity in the face of heaviness.
A core value of mine is this: Life is entirely too difficult to take too seriously.
If you’re not careful, intellectualism, overthinking, properness, appearances, maliciousness, procedure, opinions… they can bring you down and really wear you out.
It is my opinion that it takes a certain level of wisdom to attain some seriousness in life. Then… it takes an entirely different added level of wisdom to choose to unite levity with the seriousness you’ve attained.
The disciples in the passage above are us adults. Afraid to approach God so cavalierly. Afraid to submit ourselves so humbly. Afraid our simple faith in Jesus will come across as unsophisticated and improper.
The children are how Christ wants us to receive his gospel, and I would argue, live our lives. Unbothered by sophistication and procedure. Unconcerned with waiting in line to come to God in the right moment or in the right way. But just running up to Him and trusting Him.
That is the way that I want to be.
Something to Chew On:
- Are you more concerned with the right procedures before God? Or the right heart before God?
- Do you need to choose to lighten up? And try to laugh 26 times more often than you do now?
GreatValue Proverb:
Never grow up