April 16, 2026

The Life Of A Child

Matthew 18:3 – “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The scene caught my attention as I walked past the Stylex restaurant one morning. A young boy, backpack bouncing slightly, was making his way to school. But he wasn’t walking—he was skipping, his face brightened by a carefree smile, seemingly oblivious to anything that might weigh him down. No mortgage payments clouded his thoughts. No relationship tensions slowed his steps. No career anxieties furrowed his brow. He simply skipped along, trusting that his needs would be met, his path secure.

Jesus pointed to this childlike quality as essential for spiritual life. “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven,” He told His disciples. This statement calls us to recapture qualities that children naturally embody—qualities we often lose as adults.

Children trust implicitly. They don’t worry about provision because they haven’t yet learned to doubt that their needs will be met. The boy skipping to school wasn’t concerned about lunch; someone had packed it for him. He wasn’t anxious about having a roof over his head; he simply knew he would. This is how God invites us to live in relationship with Him—with the settled confidence that our Father knows our needs and will meet them.

Children live in the present. Unlike adults who often dwell on past regrets or future concerns, children engage fully with the moment before them. The skipping boy wasn’t analyzing yesterday’s disappointments or anticipating tomorrow’s challenges; he was simply enjoying the journey.

Children approach life with wonder. Everyday occurrences that adults barely notice—a butterfly, a puddle, a dandelion—can captivate a child’s attention and inspire delight. This capacity for wonder keeps their hearts receptive and their spirits light.

The invitation to become like children calls us to shed unnecessary burdens and recover the lightness of spirit that allows us to walk securely in our Father’s care.

Today’s Prayer: Father, help me recover the childlike trust, present-moment awareness, and wonder that I’ve lost along the way. Amen.

Reflection Question: Which childlike quality do you most need to reclaim—trust, present-moment awareness, or wonder?