becoming like a child.
Posted by nathan on 11 Jan 2007 | Tagged as: thoughts on god.
“Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18:2-4)
becoming like a child. do you remember what it was like to be a child?
Do you?
When we were like 3 to 5 years old, we all drew. it didn’t matter what we drew. in fact, we couldn’t do wrong when we were creative. (and our parents told us so!)
would you draw something with crayons today and be proud to show your mommy and daddy? or would you be embarrassed? Hey–it is probably a lot better than you did when you were 4. So why don’t you do it any more? something has occurred…
Did you know that only 2% of adults score in the genius category of divergent thinking (thinking outside the box). Maybe that’s not too surprising. But is it surprising that 98% of kids 3-5 were genius? only 32% of kids ages 8-10 were. and only 10% of teenagers.
What do we loose when we become an adult? I think we are afraid of looking like a fool. ‘that isn’t supposed to happen that way.’
I suggest that divergent thinking is exactly what Jesus was referencing (in part). You see, the Bible is laced with stories that are outside the box. Normalcy does not equal Christianity. Abnormality should be the normal. How about cooking your food over poop? when’s the last time a donkey talked to you? How about God telling Hosea to marry a prostitute. And speaking in tounges–is that normal?
God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. 1 Corinthians 1:27
So what do you think? do you sometimes have a hard time thinking ‘outside the box?’ Should we lead a ‘normal’ life, or should our lives as Christians be full of abnormalities?
2 Comments »
on 12 Jan 2007 at 9:22 am 1.
Carma said …
I think our innocence as children is what allows us to think “outside of the box.” We don’t know any better. We don’t know the meaning of “can’t” or embarassment. We are oblivious to our limitations, so in our minds, we can do anything and mommy will hang it on the fridge and there it will stay until we create another picture to cover it up.
As for the “normalcy” factor. We are all so different, how can we create a “norm.” What you may find normal (cooking dinner over poo?!) I may find very odd. Wouldn’t making abnormanlcy the norm be an oxymoron?
on 12 Jan 2007 at 10:40 am 2.
Todd Helmkamp said …
A Christian’s life has no business looking like everyone else’s.