I, too am a Child

We may not like to think of ourselves as children. After all, if someone were to call me child-ish, I might assume they were saying I was selfish, immature, demanding. But being child-like, as Jesus suggests is different. If I am child-like I am open to awe, wonder, mystery, and I am teachable. I am growing in my relationship with God, myself, and my neighbors. I am humbly aware of my dependence on God to nurture, guide and provide. And I am growing in my identity and groundedness in Love.

Each of us enters this world as a child…..a child in whom God has placed God’s very own image…no exceptions!  I wonder how remembering this might help us deepen our love for God and neighbor? To claim the name, “Child of God” is to connect to other people as our siblings and to connect to God as our Source of Being.

Consider, too, that God regards children as so sacred that Jesus himself entered this world as a child! Our Emmanuel, “God With Us” was born as a crying, vulnerable, impressionable, dependent babe. And he grew to be a man who welcomed children with open arms and taught us to do the same.

As adults we may be cautious about embracing our name, “Child of God”, but Jesus was not. When he taught us how to pray by offering up The Lord’s Prayer, he began by addressing God as “Abba” which in Arabic is translated, “Daddy”. This child-like stance, Jesus taught, opens us to full participation in the Kingdom of God “on earth” as it is “In heaven”.

The next time you pray the “Our Father” I wonder if you might think of being child-like as a compliment. Perhaps this is the perfect stance from which to approach God with whole hearted openness and one another as true siblings. 

The Lord’s Prayer from The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

Hello Daddy!

We want to know you and be close to you. Please show us how. Make everything in the world right again. And in our hearts, too.

Do what is best–just like you do in heaven, and please do it down here, too.

Please give us everything we need today.

Forgive us for doing wrong, for hurting you. Forgive us just as we forgive other people when they hurt us. 

Rescue us! We need you. We don’t want to keep running away and hiding from you.

Keep us safe from our enemies You’re strong, God.

You can do whatever you want. You are in charge. Now and forever and for always!

We think you’re great! Amen! Yes we do!