A lesson from a pair of brothers

by Jonathan S Spurlock
(Holts Summit, MO)

(Mat 18:1-3, NASB) 1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and said, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, 3 and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Some times, you might hear something from a young child that just plain speaks to your heart. One such occasion happened in Davenport, Iowa, a few years ago.

My wife and I decided to have a “date” one evening and we both chose one of the Chinese restaurants. We were filling our plates when we saw a pair of brothers, young boys, maybe grade school age and a couple of years younger. It so happened that they were looking at the table where a batch of crayfish were ready for the next customer.

Eyes as wide as could be, the older one said, “Look, bubby! Look at the baby lobsters!”

You can’t make that up.

That event struck a chord deep in my heart. It hadn’t been that long before, when my own children had expressed a child-like wonder at things they had experienced—maybe for the first time, too. Now, years later, I had the privilege of watching or seeing a pair of brothers discover something for the first time. Will they remember it? Hard to say, but I’m sure the memory will be there for a long time to come.

Jesus said we needed to become like children. No, that doesn’t mean to act childish and throw tantrums (or other things) when we don’t get our way. I think He meant we should explore things with a joy of wonder. Our Heavenly Father has so much to give us, to teach us, and lead us through, and I hope we never get bored or blasé with the things we see or learn.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the blessings of children, and the joy they have in discovery. May we, too, live in excitement and anticipation of what You will bring our way. And may we never lose the wonder, the joy, of living for You and enjoying Your blessings. Amen.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. http://www.lockman.org