“Mommy, I like the kingdom of heaven!” My two-year-old daughter Lily said that to me as she cuddled up underneath the blankets.
“Mommy, I want to be born of heaven.”
What a deep thought for such a little heart to come up with, I thought to myself.
“Well, darling, you can be born of heaven. If we believe in Jesus, the Bible says that we are born again. Do you have Jesus in your heart?”
“Yes! Jesus is in my heart. He loves me. And one day, I will be in heaven with daddy and you.”
“That’s right, one day we will all be together in heaven with Jesus.”
“Yes, I want to be in heaven with Jesus.”
That conversation with my little girl got me thinking.
The gospel is simple enough that even my two-year-old can understand it. Jesus said in Luke 18:17 that “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
I’ve often asked myself: How can I receive God’s truth as a child would? How can I let go of my grown-up insecurities, and just believe like a little child? My children have qualities that I can learn from.
Love: They love without limits or prejudice, just as Jesus taught us to love our neighbors (Matthew 22:39) and our enemies (Matthew 5:44).
Curiosity: They are curious, yet they accept the answers we give them, trusting that we will tell them the truth. “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
Trust: They trust me and their daddy to look out for them and meet their needs, just as the Bible shows us in Philippians 4:19: “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Unlike my children, I am often burdened with anxiety and worry. It’s almost like I forget that the antidote is faith in Jesus and the genuine hope of heaven. Those are two things we should never outgrow.
If you have not yet received Jesus as your Savior, you can do so by praying the following prayer:
Dear Jesus, I believe that You are the Son of God and that You died on the cross for me so that I can live forever with You in heaven. I open the door of my heart to You. Please forgive my sins. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Guide my life and help me to follow You. Amen.