Matthew 18:3-4
“And said, ‘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.’”
ESV
If you want this demonstration to be a blazing success, make sure you pick a kid. My buddy will bring this plank, and have me and another person grab each side of the board while we have a blindfolded person standing on it. As he’s talking to the blindfolded person he will squat down as we lift the board up onto our knees.
The person on the board believes they’re ten feet off the ground, when in reality they’re only a few inches off the earth. Then my friend will say, “If you trust me, let go of my hands.” If they release the grip, you know they trust. If not, they need more reason to believe. Then, if they’ve let go of his hands, he says, “Jump.”
A child will jump with reckless abandon. Adults…knees will knock in tandem sweaty hands feverishly grasping for a support. Usually the older a person is, the more likely they are to step off the board, but not jump.
Do you still have your leap with God? This world steals the hop out of a childlike heart if you don’t guard it. The problem with most of us adults is that we’ve jumped way too many times when it’s the world telling us to jump, and then putting the blame for our crash on God.
I felt a bit jealous when one kid shook off the knee-knocking fear, and when she heard the voice say, “Jump!” a smile flooded her face in trust, and she flew with arms wide open. Right then I felt God whisper, “You just want your heart back son. I never want you to lose your leap. Just ask me for your heart.”
Aaron F. Jeffers