Like a Little Child

While on holiday, we drove along a road that zigzagged its way up the side of a mountain. I’d like to say the higher we climbed the more I delighted in the beautiful view of the glistening sea and coastline as the vista below grew more and more spectacular. But I have to admit I was totally distracted and unnerved by the feeling that our nearside wheels seemed to be millimetres from the edge of the road, which was adjacent to an increasingly long, steep drop!

It was a huge relief to me when we finally reached the top and climbed out of the car. Then I could enjoy the stunning 360-degree view.

However, my attention was caught by a little child, perhaps two or three years old, with Mum and Dad, not holding her hand, but there by her side. The little family group were walking down some steps leading to a viewing platform. There wasn’t any real protection at the sides of the steps – just a length of wire on each side, and I was immediately concerned at how easily she could have fallen through the wire. But this little girl looked as if she didn’t have a care in the world. She wasn’t sensing any danger. She wasn’t fearful. Mum and Dad were with her and nothing else mattered. As far as she was concerned, she was safe and secure.

It was such a stark contrast to the fear I had allowed to grip me only a few minutes before. At first, I reasoned to myself that she probably wasn’t yet old enough to be aware of the danger. But it soon became clear that wasn’t the point, as the verse came to me, “Unless you change and become like little children.”

Jesus didn’t say, “become like older children”, I thought, but like ‘little children’. I saw in this little child her total dependence on a loving Mum and Dad, which left no room for fear.

What a reminder of how Jesus is calling us to know our total dependence on our Heavenly Father, who loves us so very much! I had focussed on my fear all the way up the mountain and missed out on the blessing of the view. I was even formulating a plan to sit in the back of the car with my eyes shut going back down again. But my Father God was calling me to look to Him and know His great love for me and how safe I am in Him, so that fear would lose its grip.

How about you? Do you have fears or insecurities? We can’t change them ourselves, but we can turn to our Father in the midst of them, acknowledging and thanking Him for His immense love for us, His protection and our safety in Him. And as we do that, we are making those choices He asks of us to become like little children, so that fear dissipates, and we grow in knowing how utterly safe we truly are in Him.