#3 Working Together

Children need us to teach them.  And, we need children to teach us.  This surprising, synergistic relationship creates a holy classroom of working together.  The teacher becomes the student, and the student becomes the teacher.

We know our children depend on us to instruct them.  Effortlessly, we think of children as empty vessels needing to be poured into or dry sponges waiting to be soaked and squeezed.  A pedagogical style prevails, you listen and I will teach you.

But Jesus knows, if that’s what our classroom looks like, we are flunking in flying colors.  While teaching His chosen students with the most potential, He suddenly changes all of the rules.  

“This is truth I am telling you,” he boldly declares to His disciples, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 18:3)

The unexpected shift stuns the faithful followers. 

We ask incredulously and possibly, indignantly. “Young children stand as our teachers when it comes to entering the Kingdom of God?!” With eyes full of compassion and grace , the King of the Kingdom nods assent.   

I wonder if we are getting low enough to learn?

Recently an article made me smile.  It was about smiling.  After proving her thesis, the act of smiling significantly enriches and lengthens your life, Melanie Curtin noted a profound observation. “Want to know where you stack up when it comes to smiling?  Know this: under 14% of us smile fewer than 5 times a day (you probably don’t want to be in that group). Over 30% of us smile over 20 times a day. And there’s one population that absolutely dominates in the smile game, clocking in at as many as 400 smiles a day; children.”

Four hundred times a day?!  Wow! That’s a lesson we can learn. 

Help us, Lord God, to humble ourselves to learn from your little children.  Teach us to watch and wait with eager anticipation . . . like little children.   We adore you, O Christ, now and forever. 

Amen.