Children At Heart

Pat Roberts is a former U.S. Senator and former Marine captain. Behind the dry, stoic demeanor, Pat Roberts seems to have a softer, childish side. Several years ago, he was in the middle of an (*cough cough*) extremely exciting and invigorating Senate Finance Committee hearing on U.S. tariff policy. As this riveting discussion was taking place, Pat Roberts’ cell phone began to sound. His ringtone wasn’t the national anthem, or some famous battle march song. The ringtone that filled the room was none other than the famous Frozen song, “Let It Go” (Yahoo).

There is no telling what drove Roberts to have such a ringtone, but it’s funny nonetheless. I don’t know much about Roberts’ beliefs, morals, or political stance, but he seems to be a child at heart, at least a little bit. Interestingly, this is something Scripture also asks us to do.

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ 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).

While Christ isn’t saying to be immature and ignorant, He is calling on us to take on the positive characteristics of a child. We are to be pure and innocent. We are also to be “converted,” which carries the idea of being willing to submit to a higher authority. This willingness to become like children, even though we are adults, is something that takes “humility.” These great childlike characteristics are essential for a person to gain access into “the kingdom of heaven.”

Let’s continue to grow and mature as Christians (Ephesians 4:14-16), but remember to keep those pure and enduring childlike qualities as well.