October 6: Mark 9-16

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:14b- 15

What does it mean to receive the kingdom of God like a little child? I always understood it to mean that we should receive Jesus with wide-eyed wonder and child-like faith, but an additional note in my Bible caught my attention. The side note says, "Jesus doesn't call people to childish behavior but to childlike faith. The qualities of humility, trust, receptivity and a lack of self-sufficiency all characterize the person of faith."

I had never thought of "lack of self-sufficiency" as a positive thing. I've always been pretty set on attaining self-sufficiency. This need to be able to take care of myself has driven me academically (and now career-wise), financially (save, save, save and never count on Social "security"), and socially (sometimes I'd just rather deal with things alone than risk relying on others). I realize that my striving to take care of myself sometimes hinders my relationships with others and now I'm realizing it hinders my relationship with God.

Jesus says that we are to be like children. Children rely on their parents to meet their every need, act as their guide and role model, and love them unconditionally. How much more so should we rely on our Heavenly Father to do all these things for us? I will think of "faith like a child" in a whole new way!