“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. - Jesus

This week a man came by my study at the church. I was the only one there. He looked familiar, but I couldn’t recall his name.

He said, “I’m trying to get a hold of Jerry. I’ve called him many times and he doesn’t answer his phone. I don’t know if you remember, pastor, but I lost my wife a couple of years ago and I know Jerry lost Shirley too. We became pretty good friends during those sad days. So, how can I get in touch with Jerry?”

I said, “Jerry passed away last spring.”

He turned his face away and stared out through the glass doors. Then he swallowed hard, slowly shook his head, and without looking at me asked, “Was it that cancer on his face?”

“Yes.”

He continued to stare through the glass towards Mt. Princeton.

“He was such a good man.”

“Yes, he was,” I said, “I was with him just a few hours before he died. We prayed together and he told me he was ready to see Jesus.”

Deep sigh.

I said, “Jerry died exactly the way he lived. Filled with faith, hope, and love.”

He said, “Yeah, what was in him on the inside showed up on the outside.”

I agreed.

He said, “I wish I could live that way,” as he pushed open the door to leave.

I said, “It’s not too late. Come back sometime and we will talk some more.”

He waved without looking back, got in his car, and drove away.

What is on the inside showed up on the outside. When the gospel takes root down deep, where the knobs are, it shows up in a simple child-like faith.

What was it about the way Jerry lived that made it possible that what was on the inside showed up on the outside? He trusted God—like a child.

I think that one of the main reasons children are so important to Jesus is to show us that, like babies, we don’t bring anything more to the table with God than a screaming little kid with a poopy diaper.

The difference between adults and children, Jesus says, is that little children are aware of their need for help.

Having a three-year-old granddaughter living in my house has brought such delight and reminded me of the gospel on more than one occasion. One of her favorite things to do is sing. She sings a lot and often gets the words wrong to familiar songs like Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder how I are.

Or the other day she was playing with her doctor set and checking my health with her stethoscope, and I had about enough so I pretended to be irritated with her and said,

Me: I think I am better now.

Cora: Get out, Papa.

Me: It’s my house.

Cora: Get out.

Me: You are bothering me.

Cora: No, you are bothering you.

But my favorite happened last summer when we were left home alone together, and I went out to work on my woodshed. We were out there all morning on a Saturday. At some point, she fell and skinned her knee, and I could see her some ways away from me crying, and then her hands just went up in a motion that indicated she wanted me to pick her up and hold her.

She just expected that I would come to her rescue. She knew she needed help.

Jesus says that is exactly how you enter into life with God. And that is exactly how you grow deep, wise, and strong in the with-God life.

Moment by moment trusting in God is what surfaces our faith. God-dependency is what makes what’s on the inside show up on the outside.