The Innocence of A Child

This summer I decided to take a break from waitressing and I
luckily received a job as a camp counselor at a near by summer camp. I was so excited to get the opportunity to
work outdoors all summer with children, two of my loves. The first week of camp I was assigned the
oldest group of kids, which had mainly 11-13 year old boys. The more I hung around these boys the more I
realized how corrupt they seem to be. They said things and did things that I wasn’t even aware of at that
age. I was truly taken aback by their
lack of innocence. It disheartens me to
think that our society has made children grow up way too fast and encourage
immoral living at such a young age. They
are numb to all the corruptions around them. 

These thoughts remind me of Jesus telling believers to have
the simplicity and innocence of a child, in order that they are truly accept
the gift He has given us. Matthew 18:3-4
says, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in
the kingdom of heaven.” God made
children to have a simplistic outlook on complicated things. Jesus desires that every believer take up the
innocence of a child’s mind when accepting his eternal gift, our Father’s love.

How hard will it be for grown adults to exemplify the characteristics
of an innocent child, if children are barely innocent themselves? We must work harder to help others grasp the
gift God has given us and to wholeheartedly accept it, no turning back! 

Mark also recorded Jesus’ thoughts on the same issue, “Let
the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not
receive the kingdom
of God like a little
child will never enter it” (Mark 10:14-15). Jesus knows that it is not hard to enter the kingdom; the hard part is
for people to believe in God unconditionally like a child would. God’s love is not complicated, despite what
most Christians and non-Christians believe. He loves his creation so much that he sent his only son to pay the price
for our sins. 

The 6 year-old I quoted at the beginning of this blog
understands the simplicity of Jesus…Do you?