Maturity is Overrated

I learned something new about my husband a few days ago. You would think after seventeen and a half years of marriage that may be impossible, but it's not. We were eating dinner just before leaving to take our boys to the circus. The conversation began about what we might see there and then led into my sharing "circus memories" from my childhood (I really think I only attended two or three of them, but the one when I took an elephant ride stands out!). I looked over at my husband and said, "Tell us about going to the circus when you were young." His response really surprised me. "This will be my first," he said matter-of-factly. What?!  Now, I know he did not live an underprivileged childhood, and though he did grow up in a slightly less progressive town than I did (Benton vs. Murray), I still could not fathom that he had never been to a circus. Well, that just fueled my excitement, for now I was taking FOUR boys to their first circus!

During the show, I would glance over at him and wonder what it must be like to see something like this for the first time through his eyes. In some ways, I thought he could not possibly enjoy it quite like the children because he is, afterall, a bit older. Sometimes with growing older we are less likely to get excited about such things. Aging tends to make us more cynical or at least more experienced so that we are much more difficult to be thrilled. However, on the other hand, there is something about getting older, grayer, and slower that can make us appreciate the difficulty of the feats these performers were presenting (juggling, acrobatics, animal training). While a child thinks "that looks fun; let's try this at home", we understand that the time, effort, energy, and flexibility required does not come easy.

 

I think this is true in our spiritual lives too. As we get older, we should continually be growing and maturing in our knowledge of God. But, unfortunately, sometimes the more we know about Him, the less we get excited about Him. We lose the childlike wonder of who He is and all He has done. We must fight against that temptation. Remember what the Lord Jesus said in Mark 10:15. "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 

 

There must be something of the temper and disposition of little children found in all that Christ will own and bless. We must receive the kingdom of God as little children; that is, we must stand affected to Christ and his grace as little children do to their parents, nurses, and teachers. We must be inquisitive as children, must learn as children (that is the learning age), and in learning must believe. The mind of a child is white paper, you may write upon it what you will; such must our minds be to the pen of the blessed Spirit. Children are under government; so must we be. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? We must receive the kingdom of God as the child Samuel did, Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. Little children depend upon their parents’ wisdom and care, are carried in their arms, go where they send them, and take what they provide for them; and thus must we receive the kingdom of God, with a humble resignation of ourselves to Jesus Christ.

From Matthew Henry's commentary on Mark 10:15

 

 

Today, let us receive the kingdom of God like little children; trusting, believing, depending, excited, joyful, and amazed. For truly, THIS  is "The Greatest Show on Earth".