At the end of last year, during my retreat, one of my biggest testimonies was how much more dependent I had become on God. It does not seem like such a big thing or big testimony because well, there is no tangible thing to show for it, but I fully understand what this growth meant for me and my relationship with God, hence why it was my biggest testimony.

Something that you might have heard often, especially in this time of our lives is “I expect you to me more mature”. For our age, there is a certain level of maturity that people expect from you and so when they see less than that level, they are quick to point out that you are displaying high levels of immaturity. Which sometimes, honestly can be annoying.

It is exciting that humans expect maturity to mean more independence while God sees maturity as more dependence. So you’ll find that the more you grow in Christ, the less independent you become and the more dependent on Him you are. Suddenly, the most random things begin to hit you that you have not merited or earned it, but God has given you out of His love, wisdom and abundance, and so this knowing humbles you to a level of child-like gratitude and excitement.

God actually calls us to mature in child-likeness, it is crazy for the world to grasp it but it makes perfect sense in the kingdom because the Holy Spirit cannot freely move in an independent body, a body must be totally yielded to the Spirit for Him to fully move in and through you.

God often makes reference to children and child-likeness when He is talking about those who will enter the kingdom of heaven and so, we’re forced to observe children and understand what makes these creatures the most fit for the kingdom of heaven. 3 things, from my observation stands out. They are Carefree, they are gullible and they are completely trusting.

Children come to tell you when they are hungry or have a need, they aren’t too fazed as to how you’ll meet that need, all they know is that there is a need and so they come to the one who they know is capable of meeting that need. They are very carefree with their needs, because they trust that their guardian should already be thinking about it before they even come.

Children are also very gullible, you tell them something and even without evidence or proof, they believe it, they’ve been wired that way.

Finally, they trust with what I call ‘Careless abandon‘. The other day, I placed my nephew a few steps away from me, I told him to jump without showing any signs that I’ll catch Him, He’s 2, he didn’t think twice, He lifted his entire weight off the ground and applied gravity to his body so that he fell forward, he had no doubt in his heart that the person who asked him to jump was going to catch him. So He took a huge leap.

Now, it makes sense, that those who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who are carefree because they know God is careful about them, those who take God’s word as it comes and fully believe, even when the circumstance is saying otherwise and finally, those who trust with a complete abandonment that the One who asked me to ‘do’, is there to see me through. These are the kinds of people that heaven has been prepared for.

So these days, while I’m aware that society expects me to act a bit more maturely because I have grown in age, when it comes to matters of the Spirit, i’m reminded that I must be like my 2 year old nephew, all over again. Isn’t life beautiful?

We’re being called to mature in child-likeness. This should excite you, Think about a child you know personally, and you’ll understand why this is so exciting. Children exist in the moment. They trust the one who’s been appointed to look over them. God is calling us to be childlike so we can enter the kingdom of heaven.