And A Little Child Shall Lead Them: Becoming as a Little Child
“…and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)
It was getting late, it was uncomfortably warm outside, and I was tired, but that didn’t stop them.
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“May we please stop at the park and play for a few minutes?” our three children begged, ganging up against their dad and me.
We had gone on a last minute family walk around the block and I was anxious to get home to start our bedtime routine.
“Fine,” I relented, “you can play for ten minutes.”
The children cheered and ran for the playground equipment; my husband smiled and followed me to a bench. As he and I talked about events of the day, I glanced around the playground. There was a family I had never seen before. One mother was sitting on a bench watching her two young boys play in the sand. Occasionally, she would speak to them in Spanish, then return her gaze to her phone; she appeared very somber.
I should introduce myself to her, I thought to myself.
No…, I immediately found myself thinking, my defenses kicking in. My Spanish is rusty, and I would feel awkward approaching them out of
nowhere; I wouldn’t know what to say.
My husband and I continued talking as we listened to the children’s laughter and squeals of delight. What was it they were so excited about? I wondered.
As a Little Child
“Hey, Kate⎯wait for me!” came a shout from the playground.
And who was that calling my daughter by name?
Watching carefully, I suddenly realized what was happening. While the two Spanish-speaking boys continued to play in the sand, my children and the children from another family had learned each other’s names and were playing an intense game of tag, running to and fro between the playground equipment.
The children learned each other’s names, I guiltily thought to myself, wondering why it was so difficult for me to approach the Spanish-speaking mother. Feeling unsettled, I watched her two young sons look longingly at the other children and then settle back into their sand play.
“Two more minutes!” my husband hollered to our children. As we sat waiting for the final minutes to pass, I had an idea!
I listened to my daughter say goodbye to her new friends.
“Bye! Maybe we’ll see you again, maybe we won’t. But I hope we will!” she said with a smile and a wave as she ran off.
She made it look so easy.
As we stood to leave, I gathered my children together so I could share my idea with them.
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The Idea
“Let’s go practice our Spanish!” I whispered. We approached the two Spanish-speaking boys in the sand and, one by one, each of my children introduced themselves in Spanish; the two young boys did likewise.
The children smiled at each other.
I turned to look at the boys’ mother and found her leaning forward, grinning from ear to ear, her somber look gone.
My husband and I took courage and introduced ourselves to her. We learned her name and that she lives near our neighborhood.
After chatting briefly with her, we said our goodbyes and started for home, thirty minutes later than planned.
As I walked down the road, I thought about how good it feels to connect with others, even if you may never see them again.
And I thought about how, as much as I try to teach my children the right thing to do, it is often they who are teaching me.
Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:4
Become as a Little Child
In one’s quest to become more child-like, the following virtues can be studied and applied to one’s life:
- submissiveness
- meekness
- humility
- patience
- loving kindness
For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
mosiah 3:19
Child-like Wonder
Another remarkable attribute of children is their child-like wonder.
The eyes of children behold the beauty of a world that we, as adult, often forget to see.
The hearts of children are so full of awe and curiosity that “what⎯why⎯how” questions regularly tumble from their eager lips.
“What do caterpillars turn into?”
“Why is the sky blue?”
“How do birds build their nests?”
In our quest to become as little children, let us choose to rediscover the wonder of our childhood⎯where God’s creation and the beauty of living overwhelm our senses and fill us with joy.
Let questions filled with curiosity, wonder, and awe spill from our lips as we re-learn to delight in the simplest things in life.
Wonder Checklist
Discover 35 ways to reawaken wonder with this free downloadable checklist:
Free Download
Reawaken your sense of WONDER with this FREE Wonder Checklist
Wonder Resources
In addition to the checklist, discover more wonder-filled resources here:
- Blog Post: 35 Ways to Reawaken Childlike Wonder
- Little Wonders BUGS: An interactive book for children
- Under the Window: Pictures & Rhymes for Children by Kate Greenway
- Blog Post: The Power of Play: 60+ Fun Activity Ideas PLUS Inspiring Quotes (click on image below)
- The Classic Treasury of Childhood Wonders: Favorite Adventures, Stories, Poems, and Songs for Making Lasting Memories
“Childlike surrender and trust, I believe, is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship.”
Brennan Manning
Conclusion
Don’t waste another day.
Adventure awaits.
By striving to become more submissive, meek, humble, patient, loving, and filled with wonder, we, too, can experience the joy of becoming childlike.
“I think age is terribly overrated. You’re okay as long as you don’t grow up. By all means grow old, but don’t mature. Remain childlike, retain wonder, the ability to be flabbergasted by something.”
Billy Connolly
