“But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ “
The faith of a child is not naive or blind. In a fundamental way, it is a very educated view of Jesus, who he was and what he means in our lives. Children ask a lot of questions, they want to know everything, and then they take it all in and then they are able to distill the essence of their faith and their beliefs, in simple, uncomplicated ways. One of the best compliments a person can receive is to be regarded as “uncomplicated.” I reserve this description for people who I greatly admire, people who know their own minds, and who are honest and without deceit. This is how Jesus described Nathaniel when he called him to follow. Uncomplicated doesn’t mean unintelligent or gullible, sometimes it’s the exact opposite. Just as these individuals, due to their straightforward nature, are easy to understand and to interact with, it is just as easy for them to understand what’s going on around them. They have a clarity of thought and vision, and they’ve worked things out. And because of this, their faith is unshakeable. They are often big picture thinkers.
Children are uncomplicated, simply because they are working always from first principles. Their views are not layered. What’s right is right and what’s wrong is wrong. “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” This is such a beautiful hymn, and when we sing it, we tune into that world view of simplicity and truth. Sometimes the truth is very simple and children see it right away. Children love Jesus because they know that Jesus loves them. Scripture is full of Jesus’ statements of love and when a child asks, does Jesus love me? The Gospels give a resounding and very simple, “yes, yes, yes.”
There are so many theological, doctrinal and philosophical debates that are going on all the time. As adults, we have a backlog of life experience that clouds our thinking and colours our judgement, and this can result in us having a weakened, indistinct and blurry faith. Compared to the faith of a child, rock solid and based on the simple truth, ours can be wishy washy and prone to dilution.
Jesus encourages us to open our minds and our eyes, take it all in and look with clear vision at the answers that Jesus’ words and actions give us in all their bounty. God’s Kingdom is reserved for those who maintain a childlike faith in Jesus.
Tell Out My Soul 
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