To Be Like Children

This verse in the picture above is one of my favorite verses. Remember when Jesus fed five thousand? He went up on a mountainside, and the five thousand people followed him. He turned to Philip and asked him, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” Even though he already knew what he was going to do. Then, Andrew approaches with a boy offering five small loaves of bread and two small fish. Well, I love that verse because I want to be that boy, I think we all should.

Jesus traveled with his disciples everywhere on foot. I am pretty sure that all the disciples had food on them in their travels. And put together, they probably had a lot more than that boy did. Yet, when Jesus asked how to feed five thousand, not one of them offered up what they had. Why should they? What they had could not feed all those people. They knew it, and therefore they did not give it.

But then the boy comes offering all he has. The little bit he has, he was willing to give. He did not worry about whether it was enough to feed everyone. He gave anyway. And you know what? Jesus used it. It is such a lovely reminder. God can utilize anything we offer him, no matter how little it may be. The amount is not what matters, it is behind what is given that does.

If we do not offer anything to God, God cannot use anything FROM US. We know that from reading the story, Jesus had a plan to feed the five thousand even before asking Philip how. Even if the boy did not give Jesus what he had, Jesus would have still fed the people. But the boy did give. God will always be able to turn what little we have to offer into something great.

So, I choose to be like the boy, and maybe you will too. After all, the faith that boy had is the faith we need! He had a humble, sincere, and trusting heart. He had a humble heart because he put the needs of the five thousand before his own. He had a sincere heart because he was genuine in his giving. He also had a trusting heart because children are naturally dependent on adults and trust them to care and provide for them. Isn’t that faith? We are called to be like that, to be like children. We are to put our needs before others, to be genuine in our thoughts and actions, and to be dependent on our God, to trust him to provide and care for us. I do not want to be like the disciples in that moment, who did not give because they thought it would not make a difference. I want to be like that boy who gave anyway. Whether it would make a big difference or not, God will always be able to utilize whatever we give him. That is why it is one of my favorite verses.

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:3