Mark 10:15 Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.
What is the kingdom of God?
Here are three things that the Kingdom of God means:
- The rule of Jesus Christ on earth
- The blessing and advantages that flow from living under Christ’s rule
- The subjects of this kingdom, or the Church
To me, it is the spirit of living a life of devotion, obedience, and love. I don't have any children, but my wife and I had several dogs. Any real dog owner will tell you that they are your children. They depend on you. They obey you (for the most part). They want to please you. They want to be accepted and loved by you. I think that I was a bit like that as a child. As I grew older, I wanted to learn more from my father and do things that would please him.
Recently, when walking my dog, a Doberman Pinscher, I realized that she knew where home was and that it was her home and there was food, shelter, acceptance, and love there. The home that I have now is one that God helped me find, in a time of need and distress. The job that I had and now have are also mine due to God and given in times of need.
My God has given me other things and people in my life that I wanted, or maybe needed, to help me on my journey through life, especially after the death of my wife. What I am learning to do is to relate to God as a child to his parents.
A child is taught the rules and told of the expectations and duties. The child is also taught how to perform their duties, and also how to learn and grow into a responsible and valued member of the family. The child has dreams and fears, mostly of unrealistic ideas. But then, my concept of unrealistic is things and events that are not likely to occur here on earth.
As the child grows and is exposed to more and more “real” life, they are being shown limits and becoming used to everything around them. They no longer have the grandiose dreams or the horrifying fears. They also lose their appreciation of the family and or their environment. I doubt that all of that is intentionally forced on them, but it impacts them almost as much as if it was forced.
Here, I have to refer to my Doberman, that is untrained for the most part. She charges forth every morning, looking for her toys, possible intruders, her food and water, and attention. She expects all of this though she doesn’t know how it will happen. It just does.
As children and pets still engage in seeking adventure and engaging in the wonder of living in this world, we have lost that outlook. Einstein said “There are only two ways to live your life: as though nothing is a miracle, or as though everything is a miracle.” God is the ultimate source of all miracles and we have lost that wonder.
What I have been able to do and appreciate from God is to take in the beauty and wonder of each morning. I take my dog out as the sun is rising, the birds are singing, the air is cool and fragrant, the sky is blue, the crepe myrtle trees are in bloom with pink and white flowers. It is just a beautiful, complete experience. What a gift. What a treasure.
Every day, God is giving us a world full of wonders. He is giving us challenges, not more than we can handle, but that will help us grow. God is giving us gifts of friends, loved ones, good fortune, and more surprises than we know, but would know if we only took the time to look around and appreciate it all.
Look at God, the world, and everything with wide open wonder and be thankful. You could never have designed it so beautifully.
