Let's Get Childish: Embracing Humility and Trust in Our Faith

Growing up, we've all heard someone tell us to "just grow up" when we acted immaturely. But what if God is calling us to do the opposite? What if the key to spiritual maturity is actually becoming more childlike?

What Does It Mean to Be Childlike in Faith?

In Matthew 18, Jesus' disciples asked Him who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Instead of pointing to the educated, wealthy, or accomplished, Jesus brought a little child close to Himself and said:

"I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven. So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:3-4

Jesus wasn't celebrating childishness for its own sake. He identified two specific qualities that make children valuable in God's kingdom: humility and trust.

The Humility of Children

Children haven't earned anything through their own efforts. They haven't put in years of work or accumulated impressive achievements. They have no claims on what they deserve based on their performance. This complete lack of self-sufficiency is exactly what Jesus values.

As adults, we often struggle with wanting to be "good enough" on our own. We want to fix our sin problems, overcome our struggles, and prove our worth through our efforts. But this misses the point entirely.

The Trust of Children

Children naturally depend on their parents, even when they don't understand the reasons behind the rules. They trust relationally, not just intellectually. This isn't about being gullible - it's about having faith in someone's character and intentions, even when their ways don't make complete sense to us.

Why Can't We Just "Grow Up" Spiritually?

The problem with trying to be spiritually self-sufficient goes back to the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, humanity gained the ability to determine right from wrong for ourselves. This knowledge came with a devastating cost - we became responsible for perfectly following all of God's laws.

According to the Old Testament, there are approximately 613 laws to follow. Paul tells us in Galatians that if we're going to try to earn our way to God through law-keeping, we must follow all of the law, all of the time, without ever failing.

Who among us is adult enough to do that? The answer is no one.

What Does Romans 8:1 Teach Us About Condemnation?

"There is now no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." - Romans 8:1

This verse reveals a crucial truth: we're not supposed to be good enough to stop sinning on our own. If we could fix the sin problem ourselves, then Christ's death on the cross would have been the greatest tragedy in human history - the Son of God murdered for nothing.

The correlation between shamelessness and innocence that we see in children points to something biblical. Before the fall, humanity lived without shame because we didn't carry the burden of trying to be our own saviors.

How Does Dependence Lead to Freedom?

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." - Galatians 5:1

God doesn't set us free so we can accomplish something for Him. He sets us free simply for the sake of experiencing freedom - freedom from condemnation, guilt, and shame.

When we try to handle our sin problems independently, we remain bound up in:

• Self-criticism
• Condemnation
• Guilt
• Shame
• The crushing weight of trying to be "good enough"

But when we embrace our position as dependent children, we discover that our Father takes responsibility for handling the consequences of our failures.

What Can We Learn from a Four-Year-Old's Mistake?

Consider this illustration: A four-year-old throws a rock at a passing car and hits it. The driver stops and comes to the door, angry about the damage. But he doesn't expect to have a conversation with the child about consequences and payment for damages. He wants to speak with the parents - because they're responsible for their child's actions.

When we position ourselves as God's dependent children rather than independent adults, the "big bad man" (representing the consequences of sin) has to go through our Father. And our Father has already paid the price through Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

What Is Our Only Responsibility as God's Children?

As children of God, we have one primary responsibility: obedience.

"Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." - 1 Samuel 15:22

This doesn't mean we'll obey perfectly - God knows we can't. But He calls us to obedience so we can:

• Get a vision for the direction He's leading us
• Learn to put our faith in Christ rather than ourselves
• Experience the freedom that comes from dependence on Him

Our obedience isn't about earning God's love or avoiding His anger. It's about trusting that our Father knows what's best for us, just like a child trusts their parent's warning not to touch a hot stove.

How Do We Approach God When We've Failed?

Unlike Adam and Eve who hid after their failure, God calls us to draw near when we've made a mess. He doesn't require us to clean ourselves up first - He does the work of cleaning us up as we come to Him.

The Father calls us to avoid making messes, but when we do fail, He's ready to handle the consequences and help us learn. This is the heart of grace - not a license to sin, but the freedom to approach God honestly about our failures without fear of condemnation.

Life Application

This week, challenge yourself to embrace a more childlike posture in your relationship with God. Instead of trying to fix your spiritual problems through willpower and self-effort, practice humble dependence on your heavenly Father.

When you catch yourself struggling with guilt or shame over repeated failures, remember that you were never supposed to be "good enough" to stop sinning on your own. Your job is simply to be obedient and trust that your Father will handle what you cannot.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Am I trying to earn God's love through my performance, or am I resting in His grace?
• When I fail, do I hide from God or run to Him for help?
• Do I trust that God's ways are better than my ways, even when I don't understand them?
• Am I living in the freedom Christ purchased for me, or am I still bound by condemnation and shame?

The gospel isn't about growing up spiritually - it's about growing down into the humility and trust of a little child who knows their Father can be trusted completely.

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