In our Healthy Whole and Free Forever membership group we’ve been looking at joy and play, our inner child and a childlike spirit. In Mark 10:15 it says receive the kingdom of God like a child, or you will not enter it. This is quite a big thing to consider – we need to approach God like a child. In the video and blog below I’ve drawn out three things that can help us to approach God in a childlike way and with a childlike spirit.

Transparency of character

A child is not inherently deceitful. They don’t come out of the womb anything other than themself, they don’t try to be anything other than themself, cover anything up, or try to change people’s perceptions of them. They’re open and honest about who they are, what they doing and how they are feeling. This might change as they get a little older, but inherently they are totally transparent in character. They tell you how it is and they tell you how they are.

I was at church the other day, it was quite bustly with lots of children there, and at the end of one song a child said: “I need a poo!” It’s true that kids just say all kinds of things; I’m sure you’ve got some funny stories about things children have just come out and said. They haven’t learnt to cover everything up, they haven’t learnt to backtrack or take a side step because they don’t want to offend anyone, they are just completely transparent.

So, can we be more transparent when we are approaching God?

Humility

Young kids aren’t inherently trying to be something different and they aren’t trying to know everything. They are really honest and open about their ignorance in areas of life they don’t know anything about and they ask lots of questions.

Are you still asking questions of God? Are you still exploring areas because, believe it or not, we don’t know everything there is to know! Everyday I’m sure there are questions that we have for God everyday, but we may have stopped asking them. Are there things you don’t know that you would like him to teach you and tell you about? And are you humble enough to see others as who they are as well? Do you desire to known just for who you are, not something better? Are you perhaps looking for some kind of approval?

Are you happy to approach God just as you are, to expose your ignorance, and ask lots of questions?

Willing and able to live by faith 

Children have faith in those around them who care for them. Of course, we need to guard children against having faith in everyone, but children have complete faith in those who have their best interests at heart. They have faith that they’re going to be provided for and they have faith that what their carers say is true.

God loves and cares for us much more than a human mother or father could, but do we have that faith that he’s going to provide for us? Do we fully trust, without anxiety, that he cares for us? A child doesn’t doesn’t trust but then think: “Oh, actually, maybe I shouldn’t trust as much because I might get hurt. They doesn’t analyse the trusting.

Do we hold ourselves back from trusting God fully because we’re basing him on our human experiences? 

Over the next month or so, we’ve got two events coming up called Ignite which are all about exploring our more childlike side and getting lost in activities that encourage us to switch off and play a little bit. We have a drawing workshop on 16th November and a clay bead-making workshop on 7th December. They are both on Zoom, you’ll find all the details and links to sign up here. We’d love you to join us to experience something a bit different, take a break, relax and have some fun!