It’s amazing how quickly and easily small children learn. I got a taste of this at the age of 15 when I visited France and stayed with a family with a young son. We had both been learning the language for four years, but he was fluent and I was not. He had a lot of fun pointing out my deficits! I had struggled to pay attention in class, while this little brat (I mean darling child), had just been living his life, picking up a perfect accent and vast vocabulary through observation and fearless attempts to mimic what he had seen.
We’ve been learning about how important it is to deliberately pursue spiritual disciplines. If you’re like me, you may translate “paying attention” as “stressed state of alert”. After all, God is always with us, shouldn’t we always be alert to His ways? If this happens, we need to ask, “What does it mean to ‘pay attention’ to Jesus?” In the Gospel of Matthew, He tells us that we need to have a little child’s attitude when we come to Him:
“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 (NIV)
One reason little children can learn so much is because they’re wired to constant;ly pay attention — but not in the way adults do. Adults pay attention through work and concentrated focus. Children focus, but in their own way — they dream, play, imagine, and wonder reflexively. The definition of “child’s play” is “something easy to do”. We need to remember that spending time in unproductive ways may be easy, but it’s an essential part of learning and a way to grow in faith. We can relax knowing that Jesus wants us to come to Him with the trusting attitude of a child.
Application: What are ways you’ve learned to walk in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus? In what ways have you rested in His presence with the trust of a child? Taking time to listen and observe as I spend time in nature, walking in neighborhoods I love, and listening to music, are some ways I disconnect from busyness and productivity and allow myself to trust God and bask in His presence. Remember to allow yourself to take a step back from deliberate focus and experience “child’s play” in your everyday life.
by Sherry Sommer
