So Jesus once said that the kingdom of God belongs to children. It’s one of those Jesus quotes that people usually familiar with even if they aren’t particularly religious. It is also one of those pieces of scripture that comes with a formulaic interpretation that I’ve not only heard over and over again but also, if I’m being honest. Usually it goes something like this: children have a sense of awe, wonder and innocence about them which all of us adults lost because of….. well life…. so we all need to be more child-like in how we see the world.
This isn’t a bad per se except but I wonder if there’s more that Jesus is getting at? (instead of just using kids as an object lesson for all the adults in the audience)
I’ve been thinking a lot about my two kids and what it means for the kingdom of God to belong to them. I think that there is definitely a sense of awe and wonder that they carry for this world which inspires me, but also, I’ve found that my kids (and a lot of kids I’ve known over the years) seem to effortlessly embody grace, i.e. unearned love. They are disciples, followers of Jesus, each in their own way. They are learning to fail, learning to feel, learning to get up & try it all again and they offer this unearned love and forgiveness to others and themselves along the way. It’s something to behold, to cherish and to emulate. I only pray for enough wisdom and courage to not hinder them or stop them in any way from knowing this grace, naming it and claiming it as their own.