Receive The Kingdom Of God As A Little Child

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.” (Mark 10:15). There are two ways to understand this statement. We can receive the Kingdom of God in the same way that a little child would receive the Kingdom of God. A little child is interested and excited and curious about almost everything. They grab onto what they want with both hands and refuse to let go. They are totally in the moment, not thinking about tomorrow or yesterday but how to squeeze the most fun and joy out of this particular moment. We should receive the Kingdom of God with this same kind of attitude that a little child has. The second way to interpret the phrase “receive the Kingdom of God as a little child” is to receive the Kingdom of God in the same way that a loving parent would receive a little child. Looking at it from this angle, we take responsibility for and feel a sense ownership and protection for the Kingdom of God. Just as a parent sets aside their own needs, their own sense of comfort and convenience to see to the needs of their child, so too should we see to the needs of the Kingdom of God as we would see to the needs of a little child, setting aside our own sense of comfort and ease to make sure that we are doing everything we can for the Kingdom of God to grow and thrive and flourish upon the Earth. When we embrace the Kingdom of God in the same carefree, open and unselfconscious way that a child does, and when we see to the needs of and take care of the Kingdom of God in the same way that we would take care of a little child, we are fully entering into the Kingdom of God.