The Paradox of Becoming Like Children

There's something deeply ironic about the human condition: from childhood through adulthood, we're all chasing the same thing. Children dream of the day they'll be "big" and can do whatever they want—eat an entire tub of cookie dough, stay up past bedtime, make their own rules. Adults, meanwhile, continue pursuing that same elusive prize: complete authority over their own lives.

We all want to be in charge. We all want freedom from constraint. And at the root of this universal desire lies the same temptation that faced humanity in the garden: the question of whether we want to be our own God.

The Disciples' Embarrassing Moment

Consider the scene in Matthew 18. Jesus has just come down from the Mount of Transfiguration. His disciples have failed to cast out a demon, and He's rebuked them for their lack of faith. And what are they doing shortly after? Arguing among themselves about who's the greatest.

The parallel account in Mark 9 makes it almost comical. Jesus asks them, "What were you discussing on the way?" The text says they kept silent, because they'd been arguing about who was the greatest among them.

Here's Peter, who just chapters earlier had been rebuked with "Get behind me, Satan," now jockeying for position as the top disciple. Here are the twelve, displaying jealousy, rivalry, dissension, and division—all while following the very Son of God.

Jesus responds with a teaching moment that cuts to the heart. He calls a child into their midst and makes a statement that must have stopped them cold: "Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

The Distinction That Changes Everything

There's a crucial distinction here between being childlike and being childish. The disciples were being childish—prideful, jealous, competitive. But Jesus was calling them to something entirely different: to become childlike.

This wasn't a one-time teaching. In Luke 18, when the disciples tried to keep children away from Jesus, He rebuked them again: "Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."

For His Jewish audience, this was revolutionary. They believed their lineage from Abraham entitled them to the kingdom. They thought their righteous acts earned them a place. They prided themselves on theological knowledge and religious performance.

Jesus was dismantling that entire system. Children in that culture had no merit, no contribution to offer, no righteous résumé to present. They couldn't participate in the religious system that adults used to prove their worth. They had nothing to bargain with.

And that was precisely the point.

The Humble Have Nothing to Offer—And Everything to Gain

Only the humble are citizens in Christ's kingdom. This has always been true of God's people.

In Deuteronomy 7, Moses warned Israel not to think God chose them because they were special or better than other nations. God chose them because of His great love, period. Yet within a generation, they became entitled, forgetting this fundamental truth.

Isaiah 57:15 captures God's heart: "I dwell in the high and holy place and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit."

God loves to give gifts to those who understand what a gift truly is—those who know they bring nothing to the table.

Four Childlike Traits Worth Pursuing

What does it actually mean to become childlike? Several characteristics emerge from Scripture's teaching:

Humility stands chief among them. Children have no preconceived notions, no full cup of accumulated wisdom that prevents new truth from entering. Adults often think they have it all figured out. Our cups are full, and that fullness becomes the barrier to God's teaching and sanctification.

As one writer put it, "There is not so much to learn as to unlearn." Revival comes when prideful believers become childlike in simple faith and obedience.

Simple faith follows naturally. Children are eager to believe, willing to trust and follow. They display a virtue we might call loyalty—trusting those in authority without always knowing why. While this can get children into trouble, it reveals something profound: the willingness to trust completely because you know someone loves you and has your best interests at heart.

Don't we want our children to obey without always demanding an explanation? There are things they simply cannot understand yet. What would be better is if they just trusted us.

Is this not what our Lord desires from us? There are many things in Scripture above our comprehension. We can pursue understanding, but at the end of the day, if we don't know, that's okay. God is God. He's got it figured out. We just need to trust Him.

Dependency is the third trait. Children are completely dependent on those around them. An infant has zero concept of all the interconnected actions—from national security to neighborhood safety to Mom and Dad's sleepless nights—that contribute to their well-being.

We're the same with God. We have no idea how dependent we are on Him for everything. When we call Jesus Lord, we should fully surrender to His lordship, becoming dependent upon Him in every area of life.

The pursuit of independence—true autonomy—is actually a lie. There is no such thing as independence in creation. That's what the fall in Genesis was all about: attempting to operate in rebellion to God's authority. Even physically, we only continue existing because God sustains the laws of reality. As R.C. Sproul wrote, "He alone creates beings because He alone has the power of being."

Contentment completes the picture. Think of a one or two-year-old who finds an activity they love. One time is never enough. They beg you: "Again! Again!" G.K. Chesterton captured this beautifully: "Perhaps God is strong enough to exalt in monotony... It may be that God says every morning, 'Do it again' to the sun, and every evening, 'Do it again' to the moon."

Children enjoy a thing for the thing itself, never growing tired of the good or beauty within it. The more they encounter something beautiful, the more beautiful it becomes.

Many Christians don't find joy in monotony. Prayer, Scripture reading, even church become another checklist item. Vocational duties as spouse, parent, employee turn into "one more thing to do."

But it's in the monotony—the things we do over and over again—that we're sanctified. Doing the laundry for the hundredth time. Showing up as a parent again. Reading Scripture another morning. These are the places where we encounter Christ and are transformed.

The Invitation to Become Small

The Christian path isn't a steady upward climb. It's full of ups and downs and failures. But the joy is that amidst our failures, Christ remains with us, never leaving.

The longer we spend with Christ, the more childlike we become. We realize how finite we are, how childish our ways compared to the infinite, eternal God. We are the creature; He is the Creator.

The invitation stands: Become like children. Cling to humility. Be dependent on your Lord. Simply believe and obey. Be content with the roles God has given you.

Say no to pride. Say no to fleshly desires. Be loyal.

In that humility is where we find the joy in life, the peace that surpasses all understanding. Not in being big, not in being in charge, but in becoming wonderfully, beautifully small before an infinitely great God.