No Strings Attached

No Strings Attached

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

Matthew 18:2-5 (ESV)

“My mom is the best at _____________.”

“I think Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall because ________.”

I decided it would make a nice teacher gift to return the favor, so emailed the class parents a list of simple questions to ask their preschooler about the school year and what they learned. My daughter attends a Christian preschool, so one of these questions was “What is something I learned about Jesus this year?”

Aside from a few exceptions (“Mary is the name of his mom” and “He is good at working with wood” are two responses that made me smile) the overall answer to this question was that He died on the cross for us.

Father God, thank you for blessing us with children who see the world as You hope we will see You – full of the wonder of life, the hope for humanity, and the beauty of creation. I pray for a childlike faith to consume our hearts so that we may maintain the wonderful and beautiful qualities of children that allow them to accept Your love and gifts so freely.

It surprised me at first. Certainly, there are more captivating acts in the life of Jesus to a preschool mind. This is a man who walked on water! Raised people from the dead! Paid taxes from a coin found in the mouth of a fish! And yet, what captivated these kids the most was His ultimate act of sacrifice.

Children aren’t distracted by the how and why of salvation – they tend not to get bogged down with the need for proof. Children are honest. If they are sad, they cry. If they are happy, they laugh. And from that perspective, children have an incredible capacity for trust.

Salvation stands out to children because they can accept it as it was intended, a gift from the Giver to us, His beloved children. Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” When Jesus says in Matthew 18:3 “become like little children” He means we should receive Him as a child does, purely and simply. Even knowing we are undeserving; we can trust that He loves us enough to give this gift freely anyway.

Forgive easily. Have a willingness to learn and grow. Find joy in the everyday.

The list of things my preschooler has taught me is already long, but I still find myself adding to it. Accept the gift as the Giver intended – no strings attached.