Change of Mind
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 18:2-5
A divorce. Failing at a promotional opportunity. The death of a parent or child. Being disregarded or treated as an inferior by co-workers. Disappointments and pain have an additive effect. We get into middle age and all of us (yes everyone) have taken more than our share of blows to the mid-section. We can brush it off as part of life, but the tendency of humanity is a hardening of the heart or at least a tempering of expectations. This is true for the eternal optimist and the complainer alike – just with a different manifestation. What does this do to the faith and outlook of the Christian? We say with our mouth that we believe in the God that created the universe ex nihilo, but our prayers, expectations and attitudes don’t always reflect it. When Jesus said the words in Matthew 18, he knew the human condition, and that becoming like a child, for many of us, would require a figurative lobotomy – a removal of years pain and disappointment. At the very least, this would require a “change of mind”. Change of thought process, change of attitude, change of habit, change of expectation. Since entering the kingdom of heaven requires purity of heart, the change from a dulled heart to one of joy is for our benefit. As a human himself, Jesus was well acquainted with sadness and disappointment - and to a greater depth of mental anguish than we can comprehend and yet he remained pure of heart. He knew we would all suffer from the human condition, and He knew the danger of allowing it to get a foothold in our thinking.
To remind us of what purity of heart is, He gave the example of a child. A child is innocent of thought. They live for the company of others. They love their families. They trust. Job number one is to have fun. They think and expect the best of the situation. They forgive easily. They are full of joy. They dream big and expect the impossible.
How do we just forget what we’ve been through, and reset our minds? I don’t think God intends for us to forget what we’ve been through – since this is one source of the wisdom He’s promised. He does intend for us to accept where we are at in life, and still choose to be joyful. Since we are all a little different, so is the path to becoming like a child, but I can tell you it takes daily, purposeful effort. Spend effort dwelling on: whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.