There is an inner, little child within you—who wants to come to Jesus.
Now before you dismiss this as psychobabble and click on out of here, take a look at how Jesus—just before He was betrayed and taken away—addressed His disciples:
“Little children, yet a little while I am with you.” (John 13:33a)
Something is revealed as we see how Jesus addressed His disciples, in this very sweet and affectionate way. In the Greek, the word “children” here means “infant;” in the figurative and plural, it means “darlings.”
Jesus addressed His disciples—grown men—as His “darlings.” Is it possible He was speaking directly to the little child—the vulnerable and child-like aspect of their natures—hidden within each one of them?
Consider that God may have designed us this way—A little child hidden within the character of each one of us.
Do you ever sense that little child within you? I do.
It may be that desire within your soul, that just wants to be held. Or you may sense an internal nagging, almost as if a child is asking, “Can we play now?” “Why do you work all the time?”
We work so hard at being grown-ups, don’t we?
The responsibilities weigh us down. There’s no time for playing. Life is serious business, and we have to be strong.
We can’t let ourselves be vulnerable. The “little child” is sent to their room—that place within the heart—for a long time-out.
Meanwhile, Jesus waits at the door.
“But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer (allow) the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:14, parenthesis mine)
“For of such is the kingdom of God.” Jesus was saying here that the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like little children.
“Let the little children come to me.” Are you hiding your little child, deep within?
If you had a childhood where you were repeatedly not protected by the adults in your life, you may have learned that the only person you can count on for protection is yourself.
This self-protection is something adults are very good at, and it is necessary to a large extent as we navigate this world.
But in protecting ourselves, we cover the softest and most vulnerable part of our hearts—the door that the Holy Spirit enters in through.
A little child, other than curling up in a ball, is not capable of protecting themselves. Dependent on the care of adults around them, they are at the mercy of their decisions and judgments.
With good parenting, there is never a question in the child’s mind that they will be protected—they will follow their daddy into a scary wilderness, yet feel peace in his presence.
This is the kind of vulnerability and trust the Lord wants from us. It’s possible to give it to Him, if it’s from the heart of our inner child.
Do you hear Jesus calling him, or her, to do something you can’t do?
An adult has learned that they can’t believe everything they hear. In this day and age, probably most of us believe very little of what we hear. The skilled crafting of words is so present, and it’s usually for the personal gain of others.
When that “gold” ring tarnishes, or that politician turns out to be a crook, we learn that hardly anything is what it appears to be.
And hardly anyone is who they appear to be.
You may have been repeatedly lied to throughout your life. You have learned not to take any statement—or any person—at face value.
As adults, we filter every statement, every person and every experience through our own minds—we may seek tangible evidence, or just make assumptions based on past experience.
We reason, and ultimately, we decide what—and who—we believe.
A little child, on the other hand, believes what they are told. They excitedly look forward to Santa coming on Christmas Eve, or for the Tooth Fairy to arrive.
The words they believe have an effect. The words have power.
They put out cookies and milk. They hide their tooth under a pillow. They go to bed early. They wait, in faith—and with great expectation—because of what has been told to them.
The little child within you is incapable of reason.
This is exactly the kind of faith the Lord wants from us—a belief that bypasses reason. A belief that takes Jesus—and what He did on the cross—at face value. A belief that believes everything that He said, and who He is.
Every statement He made is taken at face value. There is no filter to strain out our faith.
“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;
but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)
The effect of the cross is power—when we believe what Jesus said about Himself.
Only the inner child within our hearts can receive the cross in this way—unquestioning, undoubting, unreasoning. And—as it seems to those who perish—foolishly.
We adults are always afraid of looking like a fool.
In an effort to be taken seriously by others, we are serious. Sure, we can be silly when it’s permissible, in certain circumstances—like when we play with our kids. But when it comes to serious matters, we are guarded.
We have learned not to take silly risks—or, risks perceived by others as silly.
The thing is, that most of the risks we take for Christ—most of our acts of serious faith—will definitely look silly to the world. And they can even seem silly to other Christians.
Just look at Peter’s response when he and the other disciples saw Jesus walking on the water toward their boat:
“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.” (Matthew 14:28)
Now, if you look at Peter’s request through adult eyes, that was a ridiculous suggestion. Why would Peter believe that he would be able to do what Jesus was doing? And furthermore, what would be the purpose of this risky stunt?
Peter was the only one in the boat who “got it.” The answers were within the heart of his little child—full of childlike faith and wonder at the power of God.
A heart full of hopes and dreams, and a desire to seize them. A heart filled with an insatiable desire to be like Him, and be with Him—and to do what He is doing.
As Peter locked eyes on Jesus that night, I’m sure he wasn’t thinking about the other disciples, and what they thought.
A little child isn’t concerned about other’s perceptions of him. He usually isn’t aware of them at all.
He runs around the yard, “flying” with his Superman cape. He wields the garden hose as a brave “fireman.” Playful enactments are acts of faith—a place and space where dreams can become reality—within an innocent, believing heart.
When you lock your eyes on Jesus, is your heart filled with childlike faith—ready to step out into His realm—or is it held back by fear?
Are you afraid that you will look stupid, for daring to believe God in the first place?
It was Peter’s inner child within him who stepped out of that boat, and walked on the water with Jesus. But once the adult Peter looked at the waves and thought, “What the heck am I doing?”—that’s when he began to sink.
But he was with Jesus! Why did he doubt?
Why do we?
It’s because we are thinking too much.
It’s a good thing to use this amazingly complex brain, as (most) adults do (most of the time!) But when it comes to actions of faith—from a heart filled with faith—thinking is exactly the wrong thing to do.
Little children simply don’t think when it comes to matters of the heart. They will run across a dangerous street to an ice cream truck. They will reach out to touch that fascinating, fuzzy (and poisonous!) caterpillar. They will pick up a discarded lollipop from the sidewalk, much to their mother’s dismay!
What their heart wants, the little child will pursue it—and they don’t think about it.
We adults are good at exercising our minds and using judgment, but sometimes we can overthink things. If we think enough, we can think the faith right out of our hearts.
“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” (Mark 11:23)
I have a hard time with this statement of Jesus. Do you?
Our minds understand—correctly—that we aren’t actually moving any actual mountains. (At least, I haven’t lately—have you?)
But even without actual mountains involved, I really struggle with this statement. I wish I didn’t, but I do.
I am fairly convinced that Jesus wasn’t saying this to my adult self—as I process this statement over and over in my brain—and try to understand the rationale of it. He was saying this to my inner, little child.
He wants this statement to be received and believed as a little child—not processed in our rational, adult minds—where we analyze and ask, “How is this possible?”
Not processed, but planted—into the heart of our little child—who simply says, “Wow!”
Is our problem that it sounds too good to be true?
As adults, we tend to be pretty wary of things. Countless disappointments throughout life—some trivial, some monumental—seem to cement wariness into our hearts.
In this world, with so many people and situations that may cause us harm, it’s a good thing to approach life with caution.
But when it comes to our faith—and our heavenly Father—it’s not His desire that we approach either with suspicion.
Do you tend to over-analyze these statements of Christ, as I do?
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” (Matthew 21:22)
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” (John 14:12)
All things. Greater works. Does it sound too good to be true?
If the answer is yes, then we are receiving these words into our jaded, adult hearts. We are not trusting.
A little child, wearing her water wings, crouches at the edge of the pool. Her Daddy stands in the water, several feet away from the edge—but to her, it might as well be a mile. He appears out of reach, and definitely out of her jumping range. He is out of her safe zone.
“Honey—jump,” he says. “Don’t worry, I’m right here. I will come to meet you.”
It’s a scary situation for this little child—this new experience of jumping into the pool. But it also brings to the surface a challenge from deep within her soul: “Can I really trust my Daddy, right now?”
It’s always easy to trust Daddy with the daily, the usual, and the mundane things in life. But this is new, and different. She is wary.
But then she looks into the eyes of her smiling Daddy, and she just knows. She can believe what he says. She is safe with him.
She jumps in, and Daddy isn’t there as quickly as she would have liked. There is a moment of fear.
“Swim to me—you can do it!” She realizes that if Daddy says it, it must be true. She dog-paddles into his waiting arms.
Is there a tear in your eye, as you visualize this scenario?
Those with insecure childhoods have learned to be wary of trusting. Our Heavenly Father understands, and—through Jesus Christ—this struggle can be overcome.
He is looking into your eyes, and asking you to believe what He says. He is asking you to trust Him, and jump out of your safe zone.
Can you jump? The little child within you can.
Your inner, little child trusts that your Heavenly Father is there—to comfort you with His love, and lift you up with His strength.
The Bible has a lot to say about God’s comfort. In fact, Jesus Himself sent us the Comforter—the Holy Spirit. He knew how much we would need strength in this world, and He wanted that source of strength to be Himself.
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” (John 14:16)
Just as a little child calls for his or her parent, when they are in a situation they can’t handle—whenever we find ourselves lacking enough of anything—God calls us to run into His arms.
Maybe you had parents who, unfortunately, you could not count on for support or protection. You may have received hurt, or humiliation, or maybe you were just ignored. You learned early on to depend on self-support, self protection, and self comfort.
Children can self-comfort from a teddy bear, or getting lost in a movie or video game. Self-comfort can continue into adulthood, where the source could be entertainment or hobbies, but could also be found in gambling, alcohol, drugs, pornography or other addictions.
The tendency is to look to an outside source—but Jesus Himself proclaimed that He is the source:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:3-4)
If Jesus lives within you, He is your source within.
Jesus spread His arms out to you, as He hung on the cross—and those arms are still open wide to you, at every moment. When the pain inevitably returns, His arms are open wide for you to run into.
He takes upon Himself your pain, your fears, your disappointments, and your shame.
He took the shame upon Himself, of every soul, on the cross—and He continues to take it now—from all those who bring their shame to Him.
So many believers in Jesus are still walking around with guilt and shame, because they have approached Jesus in the aspect of their adult character.
Adults have learned that to be a grown-up means keeping a stiff upper lip—to buck up, and fix themselves. With a great self-improvement program, and much effort and determination, an adult can change their mindset.
But they absolutely, positively can not change the heart. And that is where the shame is carried.
A little child—with good parenting—doesn’t carry shame around. That is because—through correct, loving discipline—the shame is effectively removed from the heart.
There is a certain security for a little child who is lovingly and correctly disciplined. In disciplining the child, the parent takes on the responsibility for the growth and improvement of the child. The child learns and grows through their mistakes, rather than being ashamed by them.
A child raised with the right kind of discipline would rather go confess to their father, than live with the guilt that they are hiding.
The guilt is confessed, and the father takes it on himself—and there is discipline, correction and instruction—with all of it given in love.
A little child raised this way knows that only good things can come out of confessing to his or her father. Hiding guilt is unbearable.
Do you want to walk free from shame within your heart? There is only one way to do it.
Allow the little child within you to come to your Heavenly Father.
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. (Mark 10:15)
Jesus said this because He knew what the most primal struggle of our faith would be. That is why He clarified it here, explicitly.
Our struggle is that we approach Jesus as an adult: Self-protective, and wary. Serious, and afraid of looking silly. Reasoning out the Gospel in our minds, and then deciding if faith in Him would be a good fit for us.
Over-thinking faith. Depending on ourselves. Hiding guilt. Carrying the shame of unconfessed sins.
The result of this is nothing short of tragic.
The adult has reasoned it out, weighed their options, and decides to “accept” Jesus.
But they have never “received” the kingdom of God—because this can only be done as a little child.
The little child within—kept behind the locked door of the heart. Never allowed to come out. Never allowed to run, sobbing, into the Father’s arms. Never receiving His comfort.
Never allowed to sit on Father’s lap, and admit that they have sinned. Never receiving His loving discipline. Never receiving His forgiveness. Never free from the shame of guilt.
Never walking, never learning, never growing. Never feeling the thrill of jumping in—with complete, unabashed faith.
Fearful, and hiding within.
Please remember what Jesus said: “Let the little children come to me.”
Let your little child come to Jesus. The only person who can stop you is yourself.
Open the door—Jesus is waiting. To hold you.
