We're Never Done Growing
Pastoral Pointers
by Mario Gonzalez
When our daughter Debbie was expecting our first grandchild, people who knew promised us that being grandparents would prove to be a wonderful blessing. How right they were! Every time we see little William (now 10 months old) we're delighted at how much he's learned and developed. Last week I watched as Jane, Debbie and Rich's garrulous cat, walked by yowling loudly for food. William's eyes followed her intently. He reached out to her, and clearly but deliberately announced, "CA-T!" over and over again. But wait -- there's more! Just yesterday, Barbara was bathing him in his inflatable ducky tub, and he proclaimed, "DU-CK!"
From William's perspective, the world is an ever-expanding wonderland of fabulous new experiences, some strange, some delightful, some unpleasant and painful. It's a privilege to stand by and watch him as he makes his way through this new territory with wondering eyes. Everything is so new, so exciting, so fascinating to him. Experiences that are barely noticeable for us will be astonishing to him -- feeling grass under his bare feet for the first time, or tasting his first ice cream cone.
One of the blessings of being a grandparent is watching him take on the world with eager abandon. But one of the lessons William is teaching me is that if I'm not careful, I can very easily allow my need for security and predictability to stifle the continual growth in wonder and understanding of life, the world, and God himself that began in me when I was an infant like William.
Jesus' disciples, having heard him teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven, asked him, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" "He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven'" (Matt. 18:1-3, NIV).
As adults, Jesus' disciples were naturally interested in making their way in this world, in getting ahead, in securing their future. They assumed that those activities were what one did in the Kingdom of Heaven too. They had learned what they wanted and what they didn't want; they knew who could help you and who couldn't, and so forth. In short, they had life figured out. They knew what to expect.
Now certainly we'd all agree that part of being a responsible adult is knowing how to take responsibility for oneself in order get along in this world. So what did Jesus mean by his solemn warning that "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven"? I think he means that, like William, we need to have the humility to realize that no matter how old we've grown, how much experience we've had, or how much we know, we don't really know what life's about, who God is, or how he works in our lives. We don't have life figured out. We can't always know what to expect. Making life predictable frequently means manipulating people or circumstances to meet our needs. Jesus' dire warning is that the minute we think we've figured things out, we're blocking our own entrance to the kingdom.
But the good news is that Jesus is also saying that as we continue to grow like little children, we enter more and more into his kingdom. The more we realize that life is not about "figuring out" how to get ahead, or avoid problems or deal with crises, but depending on Jesus and walking with him through those problems and crises, the more we learn about the world, about God, and about ourselves. We learn a lot about our real motives, about our selfishness and sin. We learn how much the world needs God's love and mercy and how eager people are to receive them. And we learn more and more how majestic and satisfying and healing God's majestic and awesome mercy and love are.
Lord, help me never stop growing. Let me never think I've got it all figured out, but instead show me how to grow and learn by depending on you day by day, hour by hour, and minute by minute!
In Christ,
Mario