A Heart Like a Child

A few days ago, I took my daughter and some of her friends to a concert.

I knew who the artist was, but I wasn’t really familiar with many of the songs. I wasn’t there because I was a huge fan. I was there because they were.

As the music played and thousands of people sang along, I started watching.

I watched the girls around me. I watched the excitement on their faces. I watched them sing every word, dance without caring who was watching, and smile so hard it looked like their cheeks might hurt the next day.

And as I sat there taking it all in, two thoughts crossed my mind.

The first was this:

What if we loved Jesus the way we love celebrities, athletes, musicians, and influencers?

What if we talked about Him with that much excitement?

What if we couldn’t wait to spend time with Him?

What if we knew His words the way these girls knew every lyric?

That’s a blog post for another day.

The second thought was the one that stayed with me.

What a beautiful thing it is to have a heart like a child.

These girls weren’t worried about their mortgages.

They weren’t worried about retirement accounts.

They weren’t replaying conversations from three weeks ago.

They weren’t stressing about what tomorrow might bring.

They were completely present.

Completely joyful.

Completely immersed in the moment.

And I couldn’t help but wonder when so many of us lose that.

Somewhere between childhood and adulthood, we become experts at carrying burdens.

We worry.

We overthink.

We analyze.

We prepare for things that haven’t happened yet.

We allow responsibilities and disappointments to slowly chip away at our wonder.

Yet Jesus had a special affection for children.

In Matthew 18, when the disciples asked who would be greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus responded in a way that probably surprised them.

“Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 18:3

And again in Matthew 19, when people brought children to Him, the disciples tried to send them away.

Jesus said:

“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” — Matthew 19:14

I don’t believe Jesus was talking about being childish.

He was talking about being childlike.

Children trust.

Children believe.

Children forgive quickly.

Children find joy in simple things.

Children aren’t embarrassed by wonder.

When a child loves something, everyone knows it.

When a child trusts someone, they do so wholeheartedly.

When a child is excited, they don’t hold back.

Maybe that’s what Jesus was trying to teach us.

Not to lose the responsibilities of adulthood, but to refuse to lose the wonder.

To trust Him more than we trust ourselves.

To believe He is who He says He is.

To approach Him with excitement instead of obligation.

To laugh more.

To dance more.

To be fully present in the blessings He’s placed right in front of us.

As I sat in that arena watching those girls sing at the top of their lungs, I realized they had something many adults spend years trying to get back.

Wonder.

Joy.

Presence.

A childlike heart.

Maybe that’s why Jesus loved children so much.

Not because they had everything figured out.

But because they didn’t.

They simply trusted.

And perhaps that’s exactly what He’s asking us to do too.

So here’s my question for you:

When was the last time you experienced joy like a child?

When was the last time you stood in awe of something God had done?

When was the last time you laughed until your stomach hurt, sang without caring who heard you, or thanked God for the simple gift of the moment you were in?

Maybe faith isn’t always about learning something new.

Maybe sometimes it’s about remembering something we once knew all along.

How to trust.

How to wonder.

How to be a child in the arms of a loving Father.

— Naureen