I want be like my daughter.
Yes, you read that correctly. When I grow up, I want to be like my daughter. So; how can a grown man “grow up” to be like his daughter? Let’s start with scripture…
‘Then He called a child to Him and had him stand among them. “I assure you,” He said, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child — this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me. “But whoever causes the downfall of one of these little ones who believe in Me — it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depths of the sea! ‘
Matthew 18:2-6
https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/MAT.18.3/32850?version=72
While working the other day a co-worker jokingly said that he wanted to be like me when he grew up. However, once I heard his words, I immediately thought of this verse and then thought of my youngest daughter. She is ten years old, and full of joy.
Jesus wanted us to be full of that same childlike joy. He wants us to enjoy the pleasures of this life, while being very aware of the trials and turmoil that surrounds us on a daily bases. When He said these words to His disciples, He was telling them that the innocence and joyful nature of the children is what had led them into His presence.
We long to seek after Christ, but we seldom take the time to find Him in the joys of life. So often we find ourselves so involved with the drudge of life that we forget to soak in His presence. Sometimes, we need to dive into our imagination and forget the world around us.
My daughter enjoys playing make believe with her dolls, and building thinks with her K’Nex sets. She finds joy and laughter in creating things from her imagination. We are created by a Creator. God made us to be in His image. We have His imagination in us, and should often lose ourselves in it.
I am not saying that we should stop being adults and just play and be happy. What I am saying is what scripture tells us. We are to reach a higher level of faith. Our faith should be so pure that we become like children. We should just fall into the arms of Jesus through our faith. Like little children, we should find ourselves watching God work through Jesus with awe and wonder. We should desire to sit at His feet and soak in every Word like a child listening to a story.
One of my daughter’s favorite things to do aside from playing with her dolls is to read, and be read to. She also loves for me to sing to her, every night. I always sing the same song, but she wants to hear it.
We should anticipate Christ the same way a child anticipates their favorite story. Time in Christ should still excite us the same way our children get excited when we get home from work. We should seek Him with the enthusiasm of a child playing hide-and-seek. And every time we sit in His presence, we should have as much joy as a child who has just heard their favorite story for the hundredth time.
Watch this clip from Dallas Jenkins. He shares what was going on behind the scenes and what his wife had encouraged him to seek after while filming an episode of his series, “The Chosen.”
