“And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3). Jesus Christ says that we must become as little children. That's children - plural. We don't become like a little child once. We must do so over and over. After we have matured and attained some level of mastery in a particular domain, it is time to move on. If we are no longer like little children in a particular aspect of our life, then that means that we are no longer curious or struggling or learning or growing in that particular aspect of our life. We already know everything well enough to get by and do a reasonably competent job. It is not challenging us anymore or making us feel small or in need of assistance or instruction. And that adult-like feeling of mastery can quickly spread to other areas of our life. We may assume that just because we may be highly developed in one particular area, then we must more or less be highly developed in all areas. We no longer need to feel like or try to become like a little child ever again. But the world is much, much bigger than our one small area of expertise, and the enormity and complexity and the chaos will intrude into our lives and make itself manifest whether we would like it to or not. When this happens, we can cling to our pride and become resentful and bitter that there are still lessons that we must learn despite all of our hard work and study so far, or we can accept with humility and gratitude yet one more opportunity for us to become as a little child. We will feel small, in over our heads, in desperate need of guidance and assistance, and yet filled also with an unshakeable optimism that it will somehow all work out in the end anyway. And as soon as we stop feeling like a little child, that's when we have to find a new way to become as a little child once more, because if we wait, the world will force us to feel like a little child at a time and in a manner that is not of our choosing or to our liking. We can accept that we do not know everything beforehand, that we are going to stumble and struggle and look like fools, but, most importantly of all, that we are invited to embark on a brand new adventure, one that we can approach with a spirit of curiosity and playfulness and wonder as an entirely new world that we had never before imagined begins to unfold itself to our understanding. I hope we all listen for and give heed to the promptings of the Holy Ghost that will tell us when we have learned enough from a particular occupation or calling or stage of life and that now it is time for a brand new opportunity for us to become as a child once more.
