Valerie Rae Hanneman
Luke 18:17 (CEV) “You will never get into God's kingdom unless you enter it like a child!"
When my niece, Samantha was very little she asked me why her mother liked spiders so much. I told her it was because she loved me so much and I was a spider woman. “What’s a spider woman, Aunt Valerie?” “Every night I grow four more arms and turn into a spider. Every night I come into your room and pat your face with my hairy spider arms.” “That’s yucky!” was her only response as she went outside. My sister and I had a great laugh over her then we conspired to do even more mischief. We took a marks-a-lot and drew two lines down each of my sides. When Sammie came back in Cyndi maneuvered the conversation back around to Aunt Valerie being a spider woman. “Does she really turn into a spider, mama?” Sammie asked. I lifted the sides of my t-shirt and showed her the lines we had drawn. “This is where my extra arms come out, Sammie!” With her eyes wide, she asked “What do you do when you are a spider Aunt Valerie?” “I come into your bedroom when you are sleeping, pick you up with four of my arms and I rock you and sing songs to you.” “Did you do that last night?” “I sure did.” “I heard you - you sing pretty Aunt Valerie.” Then she ran off again.
Jesus was teaching when some parents brought their babies to Him. Children did not hold the prominent position in society back then that they hold today. Back then, in the family, the father ranked first, then any other adult males in the family, then came mom after her was any other adult females, then came the oldest son, then the other sons and then the daughters. Although the parents loved their children, the children were pretty low on the totem pole in social significance. The disciples were beside themselves with shock when they saw these children approaching Jesus. Jesus was the Messiah! He was drawing huge crowds to hear Him speak. He did not have time to waste on a bunch of snot-nosed brats! They tried to send the children and their parents away from Jesus so that they would not disturb His important work. Only Jesus knew what they were doing and He stopped them. In a male-dominate society where women and children were merely property, Jesus loved and valued each person equally, regardless of gender, regardless of age, regardless of social status. Jesus drew the children close to Him and made the most bizarre statement:
“You will never get into God's kingdom unless you enter it like a child!"
Remember Nicodemus’ reaction when Jesus told him, “You must be born again” He was astounded. Nic didn’t say “You gotta be crazy!” out loud, but I bet his voice said it when he said, “How can a man be born again? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” The disciples were equally astounded. They looked at each other with puzzlement clear on their faces. They were grown men - how could they possibly become a child again? Did this mean that the Kingdom of God was closed to them because they were adults? This statement that you had to enter God’s kingdom like a child was either crazy or grossly unfair - and the disciples didn’t like the thought of either one being true. But (as usual) the disciples did not understand yet what Jesus was saying. Nic and the disciples related what they heard to the physical world - Jesus meant it for the spiritual world.
When Sammie reacted to the thought of me being a spider-woman she thought it was yucky that I would touch her face with my hairy spider hands, but she was pretty much okay with the thought that every night I was picking her up and rocking her in my four arms. She had enough simple faith in me and her mom and in the love we have for her to believe that we were telling her the truth and that we would not bring any harm to her. It is that type of child-faith that opens the doors of God’s Kingdom for those who would enter in. The simple faith that believes that aunts can turn into singing spiders and that God can love a sinner and desires to become their Father.
Samantha is twenty now. If I were to tell her that I am a spider woman who rocks her in her sleep, Sammie would roll her eyes and give me that smile that young people reserve for their eccentric, doddering older relatives. Child faith, her spider faith, has been replaced by the realities of a world that has taught her differently.
The world will do the same thing to our child faith in God. Science tries to take away the wonder and majesty of our Living God, replacing Him with it’s theory’s of evolution and attempts to create life. Adult faith in science supercedes our child faith in God. And we are the poorer for it.
Child faith believes that God loves us, just as we are. It believes that He is our Father and wants only good for us, that He will never harm us. Child faith believes in God when adult faith says that is illogical. Child faith invites Him to dwell within us and be our God. Child faith causes us to dance into the Kingdom of God where He waits for us.
Abba, sometimes I let the world whisper lies to me - that my faith in You is ridiculous and immature and I should grow up and face reality. And for just a moment, my heart and mind wavers. But all I have to do is look at the miracle of my life to know that it is the world that is ridiculous in their beliefs. Me and my child faith got it right. You are the only reality.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of FFBC at valerie@fresnofirst.org