by Elizabeth Haarberg

The freedom to dance again.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Children amaze me. Their energy and laughter are infectious.

Even though I have four children, they are getting older and less like toddlers and little children and more like young adults.

On Sunday, I watched a four year old girl, with a messy braid, dance and sit in the aisle with bare feet during the sermon. I got teary watching her, not because I want my children to be young again but because I got a picture of what God wants us to embody.

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:3-4

Children give us the example of what our relationship with God should look like. He wants us to be dependent on Him and love Him with no doubt. He wants such a reliance on Him that we never worry.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7

Children aren’t naturally worriers. We aren’t born concerned. We are born to be dependent on our parents for everything, including food, diaper changes, and even to be carried. As we grow and become more capable, we take on more responsibilities and begin to be more independent from our parents. We eventually feed ourselves and walk on our own. In our relationship with God; however, we are not meant to feed ourselves or walk on our own. He wants to carry us. We are to remain dependent on him. Sometimes we try to transfer the load that God wants to carry onto our own shoulders. We listen to the world about how we need to be “independent” and “self-sufficient.”

Becoming more capable shouldn’t include shutting God out in the process. Laying down our expectations of ourselves and others, laughing more, dancing, singing, resting in God’s love are all good ways to begin again as a child.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado