“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.” (Matthew 18:3-4)
When Jesus said these words, he meant for us to understand one simple thing – become like little children.
But, what exactly does becoming like a child mean? This is something that most of us think we understand, and yet there’s so much to it than meets the eye.
Let’s try to demystify the words of Jesus about children, so to help ourselves in our spiritual journey to blissfulness.
Surrender
Have you ever noticed how easily a child believes in what others say? Little children are already surrendered to the universe. Their ‘me’ is not yet being developed.
One of the major reasons we can’t connect to God or universe or consciousness is that we have a ‘me’. We consider ourselves to be a separate entity – when in truth we aren’t. It is only in moments when we surrender and lose the sense of body-mind, that we can truly become ‘One’ with the universe. Such oneness can only occur when we become mindfully aware of life.
Thus, the next time when someone talks about Jesus and children you will know that in some depths they’re talking about surrender.
Acceptance
Because children can surrender, they also have a high level of acceptance of life. Just look at a 3 or 4 month toddler. You take their toy and give them a different one, they will quickly accept this. You put anything near their mouth, they will lick it. They will play when they feel to, eat when they feel to, and sleep when they feel to. Little children ‘flow’ with life. They make very little ‘will’, very little control of the world. It is this message of acceptance that the Bible verses on children want to propagate.
When we look at ourselves, we are too full of ‘shoulds’ and ‘should nots’. You are too full of trying to control life. It is in this process that you forgot the path of acceptance and feeling your emotions fully. The universe knows what’s best for us, and what’s not. The only thing that it demands from us is to ‘trust’ and ‘accept’.
Playfulness
Children are playful. They are not ‘serious’. They are not ‘too filled’ to not be able to run, jump, or throw hands with lightheartedness. It’s this purity in a child’s heart that the words of Jesus about children in Bible want to shed light on.
On the other hand, playfulness is not natural to us. We are too much filled. We are too full of ideas of rights or wrongs, usefulness or uselessness, to prove or not to prove. We are too full of thoughts, unresolved emotions, and suppressed energies. It is only awareness and emotional healing stages that can help us to find that free and playful child in us.
Curiosity
Have you ever noticed there is a different kind of beauty in a child’s eyes? Their eyes always seem to be in some surprise, some amusement. When you look at it, very highly spiritual people also hold this shine in their eyes. Curiosity is bliss. It is this message that the Bible verses on Jesus and children want to put our attention to.
Somehow along the way of adulting, we have stopped being curious. We have a ready-made answer for everything. And believe me, it is these ready-made answers that are ruining the joys of our lives. When you look at everything with curiosity, you are not living in your mind. Then you become fully aware in that moment. But a lack of curiosity means a lack of full engagement with our lives.
So next time you see a flower, do not define it as a ‘flower’. But look at it with your highest curiosity – its color, texture, smell, and the vibes it emits. When you eat chocolate do not define it as ‘chocolate’. Instead feel its texture in your mouth, the taste, and the way it feeds your whole body – feel your feelings during this moment.
Love
There is one family in my neighborhood that my parents hate from the deepest hearts. And yet it was their 1-year-old child who melted my parent’s heart and restored peace. One morning when my mother was sitting outside our house, he came to her and sat on her lap. Children do not ‘know’ love, but they are love. Their whole being, presence, and existence are filled with love.
When Jesus said to have a child’s heart, he meant for us to love like children. He meant for us to realize that this love is nothing but the deepest image of God. All that we need to do is to stop practicing love through our minds, and just become love through our very existence. Most of the Bible verses on children want to spread this message about love.
Simplicity
Little children are simple. They are not clever. They are not complex beings. One of the biggest hurdles for us to become ‘one’ with the universe is our complexity. When our mind is too dominant in our existence, it creates complexity. Such complexity makes it difficult for us to experience life in ways other than what fits the mind’s definition.
This is something mindfulness meditation handles aptly. It makes our minds fluid enough to start accepting life in ways that surpass thoughts and bodily processes. Then it will become very easy for you to follow everything that’s being said in the Bible about little children and Jesus. You will then also identify the causes of why sad for no reason, and eliminate them within you.
All in All
The words of Jesus about children want to convey one simple message – lose all the adulting that society forced on you, and become as pure as a child.
Becoming a child means becoming simple, playful, curious, loving endlessly, and surrendering and accepting whatever life throws at us.