Like A Child

One of the most common phrases Jesus says in the Bible is "become like a child". It sounds good, sounds easy and sounds exciting. But what does it mean to have faith like a child? What does that look like?
Being a "camp kid" my whole life, I have been around children constantly. I've seen them at their best, and their worst. And there are a few things I learned while being a cabin leader about being "like a child". First of all, children believe what you tell them.
I remember one time at camp, we told the campers that there were "Bush Sharks" that lived in the bush, and they came out at night...so campers weren't to leave the cabin after lights out. Turns out, they believed us...to the point of getting nightmares and stuff, and so I had to give a public apology to the campers, and tell them that Bush Sharks don't exist (but Lake Chickens do). The point is, they didn't think about it. They just believed it because they trusted us, looked up to us, and respected us. It's got to be the same way with us and God. We have to believe what he says to us. Look at Abraham..God told him to move to a far away land...and Abraham did, without hesitation. God told Abraham to sacrifice his only son...the son that he waited a hundred years for...and he was willing to do that. Now, the challenge is knowing, what is from God and what is only in our head. We sometimes get these ideas in our head that we credit to God, when in reality it is all made up, and has nothng to do with God at all. When you do know it's from God, however...you must act. You can't hesitate (unless God tells you to wait...in which case hesitation is exactly what you should do)...you have to just do it. Go for it. God won't lie to you, or decieve you the same way we did with the campers and Bush Sharks. Trust him..know that he is honest, truthful, and has your best interest in mind.
Another thing about children, is that they ask questions. It almost gets to the point of annoying. My nephew is in the "why?" stage right now, and asks why about EVERYTHING! I think it is important for us to emulate that sense of wonder. As we grow up, we just learn to accept things as they are. We stop asking questions. That can't stop happening. If we don't ask questions, we don't learn, we don't grow, we don't evolve. Ask questions about everything. It's ok to ask questions about the Bible, "why did God do that? what does this mean?", ask questions about God, "how has God been around forever? Does God know everything?"...it's normal, acceptable, and HEALTHY to ask questions, and have an element of doubt.
Finally...well, there are many more characteristics of being a child, but I'm only focusing on three of them..children have fun. They laugh. They joke. While this is easily overlooked as immaturity, I think it is important to take it to heart. I remember reading in the MB herald a long time ago a letter to the editor by someone who said, "Laughter isn't biblical because the bible never mentions Jesus laughing". What a load of BullCRAP! The bible may never have mentioned Jesus laughing, but he hung out with children a lot of the time. It is nearly impossible to be with children and not smile and laugh. Life needs to be fun. Life should be enjoyed. It's a terrible travesty that as we grow up, we become so focused on work, and money, and "surviving" that we stop having fun. Jesus tells us to be like children. ENJOY LIFE! Laugh, joke...have fun. Play games, run around...stare in amazing wonder at the world. I soon will have a new nephew or neice, and it's interesting to watch a baby see things for the first time. Everything is new and exciting to them. The same should be for us. I've found that as I've lived here in BC for a while now, the mountains seem less beautiful and exciting. I need to see them as amazing once again. I take them for granted. We all take so much for granted. Let's enjoy everything, be amazed by it all.
Ask Questions, Trust God, and have fun. 3 key ways to become like a child. What other ways can we be like little children?