like children.

So people always tell you that as a Christian that you are to be like a child. When people talk discuss what that means phrases like: “easily impressionable” or “easily influenced” come up. I never liked those ideas. I don’t think God wants us to be “easily impressionable.” We should know what we are doing and why we are doing it. Only then will our actions and thoughts have meaning. Just going to church because our parents put is in our carseats on Sunday mornings is not going to get us anywhere. We need to understand the corporate fellowship, worship and teaching aspects of the church experience, and the only way we can understand that is to ask questions about it. We cannot just take it for face value as something to do on Sunday’s as many children do. They have donuts before Sunday school and if I memorize some Bible verses I’ll get a sticker and if I get 10 stickers I get to pick something out of the treasure chest. O, yes, the treasure chest. And once a month we get to watch a Veggie Tales movie. You have to love the Cheeseburger Song. These things are all fine and good, but without meaning or questions, they are so surface level. God wants us to grow closer to him, not stay in our treasure chest states. Thats a very impressionable childlike view of church, of God, of religion.

I’m reading “The Ragamuffin Gospel” right now by Brennan Manning. I’m not very far in, but its pretty sweet. This one section talks about being childlike, and its really the first time I think I understood what it means to be like children:
“If we maintain the open-mindedness of children, we challenge fixed ideas and established structures, including our own. We listen to people in other denominations and religions. We don’t find demons in those with whom we disagree. We don’t cozy up to people who mouth our jargon. If we are open, we rarely resort to either-or: either creation or evolution, liberty or law, sacred or secular, Beethoven or Madonna. We focus on both- and, full aware that God’s truth cannot be imprisoned in a small definition. Of course, the open mind does not accept everything indiscriminately – Marxism and capitalism, Christianity and atheism, love and lust, Moet Chanon and vinegar. It does not absorb all propositions equally like a sponge; nor is it soft. But the open mind realizes that reality, truth, and Jesus Christ are incredibly open ended.”

I like that. We are not supposed to have the “easily impressionable” aspect of children, but the “open minded” aspect. We need to look at what we are taught, not just take them for face value. Children are not yet tainted by society. They have an innocence where they can look past differences and look within the person to see a playmate and friend. I like that.