Child-Like Humility

And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. "Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.…”  Matthew 18:1-4

I've been spending a couple of days with my sister, her husband, and their two little boys.  The youngest one is two years old and quite the hoot. He's full of energy and playfulness which makes him irresistibly adorable and precious.  What I find further endearing is the fact that he loves to do things on his own to show that he is a "big boy."  Yet, when he finds himself in a bind such as not able to zip up his pajamas on his own or he needs help turning on the television  or getting a snack from the fridge, he is not too proud to call out to "mama" or "auntie" for help.  There is something about a child's helplessness that makes a parent (or an auntie, in my case) unable to resist the child's request.

When we think of humility, I'm sure a lot of thoughts run through our mind.  In the scripture above, we are told that we must become like little children to enter heaven.  Further we are told that we must humble ourselves like children in order to be great in the kingdom of heaven.  What does that look like exactly?  Well, it looks like my nephew and the way in which he trusts his parents.   My sweet nephew is very dependent on his mom and dad for EVERYTHING.  He depends on them for food, shelter, clothing, and love. He trusts them to meet his basic needs and he isn't too proud to ask for what he wants.   If he wants something, he will ask for it no matter how big or small the request is.  He trusts mom and dad to protect him. When he's scared, he clings to them for assurance.  What I just described is the same kind of trust and dependency God wants us to have in Him.  We must trust God for our every need no matter how big or small.  Whether it be financial, physical, spiritual, and emotional, we must learn to depend on him in that area of our life.  That is the essence of humility- knowing that we can do NOTHING without him just like a child can do nothing without his mom and dad.  I'm personally learning to truly trust God for every single need in my life.  When I pay my bills, I give them to Him.  When I drive to work, I give my job to God.  When I walk into my classroom, I give my students to God.  When I have a conflict with another person, I've learned to give it to God.  When I make a purchase, I give it to God.  I depend on Him for EVERYTHING. When I need to make a decision in my daily life, I trust in Him.

A couple of nights ago, I was struggling with a decision that needed to be made.  I was afraid of making the wrong decision and kept praying to God asking him to help me make a good decision.  Yet, something kept nagging at me for the entire day, scaring me into thinking that I would make the wrong choice and displease God. Later that evening, my little nephew snuggled next to me on my bed and we dozed off.  In the middle of the night, I woke up to a cold draft in the room.  I looked next to me and there was my nephew shivering. Without even thinking about it, I grabbed a thick blanket and covered him.  Even in my grogginess, the Holy Spirit spoke to me very clearly.  April, did you think twice about what you just did?  All of a sudden I was alert.  No, Lord, I didn't.  He continued Well, I'm the same way with you.  You don't have to worry about making a bad decision because I'm not going to let you.  As your father, it gives me great pleasure to take care of you. I can't help but protect and take care of you.  I take pleasure in guiding you and covering you because you depend on me and trust in me.  

It was then that I realized that when one depends on God with child-like trust for every need in their life, God will show himself in every aspect of their life.  There may be some areas of your life that you feel God would not care about- your weight, your romantic relationships, your travels, your college classes, your children's schooling, your hobbies, etc., but if you welcome God into those parts of your life as well as into the other big areas, you will see Him move like never before. What are you waiting for?  Trust Him.

Remember, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths!

April