Like Little Children

Had the weirdest thought hit my head the other day...
I was standing there thinking of how as we pray, we enter into the presence of the Father. We close our eyes, then come before Him and stand right there where He alone sees us....
But what struck me was, how He sees us.
We see ourselves as adults. Career women and men. Moms and dads, uncles and aunts, sisters and brothers. We look at that face every day in the mirror, and to us, that is who we are.
But what God is looking on is the heart. He sees us as we really, really are down inside.
Inside each one of us, we're more than the clothes on the outside. We're something more than just flesh and bones and hair and makeup and what we do up every day to make ourselves presentable to others.
Inside, we're all just children.
Children of God.
So as we stand before Him, do we stand as children?
I got a sort of mental picture that came to view of a group of people standing before the throne, at first as adults.
Then we closed our eyes, lifted our hands and as suddenly as we really got into the worship and prayers and praise of Him, the outside of each of us began to sort of unzip and then fall off like an oversized character suit worn by a person (sort of like those at Disney World or other theme parks).
And out of each suit stepped a child.
Wearing typical kid clothes. Shorts, pants, dresses, t-shirts, just a bunch of kids.
Like we'd been playing dress up as adults and suddenly we stepped out of those too big dress up clothes and they just laid there on the ground while we stepped outside of them.
And as we looked around in wide-eyed wonder, we saw one another as children.
Smiles began to spread over our faces.
Then we laughed and hopped and skipped around and danced and ran circles like kids do, and enjoyed a wonderful time in His presence.
The old stuff just dropped off of us. No more tired muscles. No aching backs or hurt shoulders or stiff knees or arthritis or bad eyes or loss of hearing...
nothing holding us back.
No hurts. No pain. No old age.
Just giddy child-like happiness and joy as we danced as children before the Father.
And I do think that is how He sees us.
Not as these aging creatures so stiff and bent and ravaged by time, but as the children He created us to be.
Able to run, dance, skip, hop, jump and twirl around before Him in joy and freedom.
Freedom.
In Him, we find freedom and joy and laughter and love and life abundant... just as He meant it to be.
In His presence, as we enter there, trusting and hoping and joyful, just as little children, we find there what we're so hungry for.
To be in His presence, worshipping in freedom and real joy.
Trusting in Him with faith as a little child.
For if we become as little children, we look at things from that perspective. We really believe He can do all things.
We trust that He loves us and will take care of everything.
And we know everything He says is truth because that's what our Father is all about.
So let's drop these drab and heavy old clothes.
All our dress up games of being adults who carry the heavy world on our shoulders...
Let's lay them aside, leave 'em lying on the floor.
And let's dance as the little children we really are inside.
No self conscious peering around to see who is watching us.
No feeling as if we don't know the right moves.
God is watching, nobody else matters.
Let us kick off those heavy shoes and lay aside our heavy hearts and close our eyes to see only Him...
and dance.
Twirling.
Prancing.
Jumping.
Leaping.
Dancing and running and laughing...
Free as the children we really are inside.
No bullies.
No cares.
No worries.
Just us and God, sharing the moment together.
Flying with our feet in sheer joy for the Life He's given us.
Let's run and play with the Lord!


Matthew 18
1 At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?

2 And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.