I have spent a lot of time doing summer camps this summer and having a lot of fun sharing Jesus with the kids. I absolutely love to share my love for Christ with children because of the way they respond and try to comprehend God's grace. Its so much fun helping children understand that they need to make a descision to follow Christ for themselves and shouldnt just follow blindly.
Their lives should be changed from the inside out not the other way around.
The other morning I was thinking about a skit I saw at Camp K. The skit involved an adult man dressed up like a baby. He had some one else's hands as his and used his hands as feet. It was meant to be silly but yet thoughtprovoking and I believe it accomplished the task. I know it touched many of the adults lives along with the campers'. They showed how even adults can be fat baby Christians with little to no substance to their relationship with Christ. We need to learn and grow instead of staying at a comfortable 'baby' like phase.
After a few days I thought more on the message of the skit and how appropriate the analogy truly is. I majored in Human Development and Family Studies which means I learned a whole lot about the development of infants to adults. Infants are extremely dependent on their caretakers just as infant christians are extrememly dependent on their pastors and mentors to show them how to relate to God. Sadly enough there are lot of people (children and adults alike) that do not develop much further from this stage. These are people who attend church to get their fill but dont ever read the Bible for themselves or if asked a question regarding their faith they stumble over coming up with an answer.
Now as a human develops so does a christian. The next stage would be toddlerhood. Toddlers start to become independent (hence why they like to wander off or insist on buttoning their own shirt or pouring their own milk). Now this doesnt mean that toddlers are fully independent they still need caregivers but they are realizing the need to become independent. Toddler christians also realize they need to stand on their own faith instead of being led around by others' chrisitianity. These Christians are likely to start a reading plan or at least recognize the need to know the bible for themselves so they can give an account for what they believe in. Granted they wouldnt be perfect with their reading plan and are still pretty dependent on their mentors but at least they recognize they need to develop a relationship with Christ on their own accord. They are still pretty egocentric (self-centered)and dont like to share
The next phase would be young child. For a typical child this stage would be where they start to read and write. This is important for Chrisitians because now they are learning not only how to become independent but how to communicate effectively. Take note that they still require a mentor figure and peer relationships to help them grow.
Now as a child develops he/she becomes more independent but also learns to develop realtionships with others. Imagine a child in school who learns something and helps their friends with their homework. Childlike Chrisitans do not have any concern with how they look in other's eyes but concern themselves with sharing what they learn with as many others as possible. They are knowledgeable of the bible but are always ready and open to learn something new. They recognize that their relationship with God is essential to their day to day living. They devote themselves to learning more and growing in their relationship with God.
Whats amazing in my mind is this Childlike Christianity is exactly where God wants us to be. There are numerous references to the idea of us being like children. I believe that this is not a ploy to stunt our growth but instead a way to show us we need the mindset of children. Children are not concerned with the perils of this world, they have imagination and faith that is uncomparable. Also even though they have faults and can be selfish at times, they also can be some of the most selfless people on this planet. So why not take lessons from children just as long we dont get stuck as infants.
