Unburdened Children

Unburdened Children

Read: Matthew 18:1-4

“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:4

“A child lives by faith, and his chief characteristic is freedom from care.”

—Hannah Whitall Smith

IN WORD When we were children, most of us were comfortable with life. Some childhoods are difficult (increasingly so as our culture deteriorates) but most are free from worry. We didn’t obsess about family finances, our health, our security, or any other “adult” concern. As we grew older, reality set in. After all, we would one day be adults and have to concern ourselves with these things. But there was a time, however brief, when we could simply live life and trust all the details to older and wiser people.

Though we grew out of our human childhood, we are always God’s children. We grow up spiritually, but we never grow to be independent of our heavenly Father. The carefree attitude that many children have can be ours. Why? The details are being taken care of by Someone older and wiser. He has not asked us to stay up late to worry about how to make ends meet. He has not burdened us with resolving the family crises. He has let us see some of the family stress, of course, and He even asks us to play a role in handling it. But bearing the burden? Never. That’s the Father’s task, not ours.

IN DEED We tend to think that ignoring the burdens of life is irresponsible. And we are not to ignore them; we are to cast them into His arms. But there is nothing irresponsible about that. In fact, it honors God when we refuse to worry about something He has promised to do. He has never betrayed our trust. Sometimes the most faithful thing we can do is to sleep calmly, or to run freely, or to rest without anxiety. Such a posture indicates that we are trusting His ability to parent His children. We know whose hands guard our family, and we know how secure His house is. The more we act like unburdened children, the more we prove our faith. And that always pleases our Father.