“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3
Tonight I am going to build a fort. I'm going to crawl inside it and watch a movie with a few of my friends, and for a small blink of time we will be five years old again.
You know, I have always wondered what was meant by "becoming like a small child." There has to come a point in our lives where we set aside our childish ways and become young adults, right? At least that is what society has conditioned us to believe. Some people take maturity in terms of age: a 25 year old is more mature than a 19 year old.... fair enough to some extent. Some may view maturity as the amount of life lived in those years: what you have seen, what trials you have overcome, where you have been. And again, others may see it as the ability to plan financial decisions around a four to eight year college degree. I, however, see it in a much simpler light.
In my small eyes maturity is not all about age, where one has been, or in one's ability to plan a future. It is about learning to own up to your mistakes, to make sound decisions from what life has taught you, and to walk through life seeing the world though the eyes of a little girl (or a little man, depending on who is reading this...).
This past week I was able to spend time with my Godchildren. Oh, my heart! Madelyn Kay is a blonde-haired, blue-eyed ball of sugar. I could not help but watch this 3 year old's every move. When I held her and read her a story, she rested in the safety of my arms. As we prayed together, she was simplistic and calm. Every kiss she gave me throughout the day was unguarded and loving. And every "I love you" was heartfelt and full.
I closed my eyes today and thought of how sweet she looks when she sleeps. We were roommates this week, sharing my old bed. Madelyn still sleeps like she did when she was a babe; her hands folded, resting on her forehead. I then thought about the "date" she and I went on Tuesday night: Mass followed by dinner. As she held my hand on the way to my car at the end of the night she stopped and said, "Aunt Sierra... thank you for calling me princess." All I could think as my heart filled with her words was that she deserves to be called 'Princess' for the rest of her life, because that is what she is. She is a princess.
She revealed to me in that moment what it means to be childlike. God is calling me a princess every day. He wants me to be filled with that knowledge for the rest of my life. Every move Mady makes shows me what God is asking of me. She is relentless in love, she trusts, she feels safe when my arms are wrapped around her. She never questions my love for her... she knows she will never have to.
Yes, God is calling each of us to grow and mature in this world, to grow deeper and further in knowledge and faith. Yet when it comes to a relationship with Him, all He asks is for us to be in awe of the world He has created for us, unguarded in our love for Him and for each other, and to trust in His storybook plan for our lives (The Bible, a story, a book... see what I did there, eh?).
So tonight as I make a fort after working all day, I will see how adulthood can meet God's expectations of remaining childlike in faith. And when I rest my 20 year old eyes at night, I will sleep in the comfort of my Father's arms. We never have to question His love.
