The Bible speaks often about two different realms, asserting that there is more going on than meets the eye. In Biblical terms, these realms are two different kingdoms: one earthly and one heavenly; one natural and one supernatural. As followers of Christ, we are citizens of a different kingdom than the one we walk around in here on planet earth (Ephesians 3:20).
The earthly kingdom is what is held by most inhabitants of our planet to be “reality.” These days, things outside this natural or “scientifically verified” realm are held to be fantasy, imagination, or hallucination by much of the Western world. We live in a “just the facts” culture.
But the heavenly kingdom Jesus spoke of, and that the Bible repeatedly affirms, is one that is unseen. It is understood by faith and engaged with supernaturally. In other words, we cannot point to it or test it in a laboratory.
This supernatural, heavenly realm, which will last for all eternity, is ultimately more real than anything we can see or touch in the natural realm.
In this unseen realm a very real devil wages war against our Almighty God. As part of that war, Satan does all he can to keep you from knowing the intimacy of your heavenly Father. One tactic is skepticism about the supernatural. Another is fear of stepping out into the unknown with faith like a little child.
Jesus, however, invites us less to intellectual certainty and more to faith. He urges us to be more like little children. In fact, he connected childlikeness with the entrance the kingdom of heaven:
“But Jesus called them to him, saying, ‘Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it’” (Luke 18:16-17).
Jesus recently has been revealing to me the value of recovering childlike wonder. We can become weighed down with worry, pressures, and stress. These things can cut us off from the joy that is ours in Christ. They can obscure our sight and our experience of God’s Kingdom.
So what is it about childlikeness that is so precious to Him and so important to our ability to enter into the His kingdom?
- Little children are filled with wonder and joy.
- Little children are filled with creativity and laughter. They long to run and to explore. They delight in discovery.
- Little children are unbounded. Though they are curious, they don’t insist on rationally understanding everything.
- Little children are filled with simple trust.
The enemy of our souls despises this sort of childlike joy and wonder. He does everything he can to derail it, to steal joy, and to eradicate trust. You can absolutely see an attack on childhood in the world around us.
We adults, too, have all but forgotten how to be children living with abandon. But that is the invitation of Jesus to us. He says, “Receive the kingdom of God like a child.”
Spend some time considering the health of your childlike heart with these questions:
- How well do you approach the world with awe, wonder, and a sense of curiosity?
- How easily do you live with freedom from fear or skepticism?
- How readily do you walk in faith in God’s unseen and supernatural power to protect you regardless of what you see with your natural eyes?
- Do you recall what is like to be a child? Do you miss it?
Here are some things you can try to get more in touch with your childlike heart:
- Buy some bubbles and blow them. Try to catch them.
- Turn on some favorite music and dance until you can stop laughing.
- Fingerpaint.
- Read some favorite children’s books (maybe find ones from your childhood?)
- Go on a walk in your neighborhood with Jesus and ask Him to give you childlike eyes to see His creation around you.
- Hang out with someone under the age of 5.
May you be filled with childlike wonder and joy in Jesus!