…”and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3 NKJV)
“Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” (Luke 18:17 NKJV)
“And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, ‘let the children come to me, do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.’ And he took them, laying hands on them.” (Mark 10:13-16 ESV)
The year is 1984. The place is Norvell Michigan. The players are Eric and Melody Raby. The setting is a Sunday morning in late August at the Norvell Community Baptist Church. Let’s pick up on the action.
Standing behind the pulpit we find Eric waxing elegant on one of his favorite passages of Scripture. He is enthralled in what he has to say. He is hanging on his every word, and is convinced the same is true of all who are hearing his enthusiastic exposition. All of a sudden it is as if the entire world has gone into slow motion mode as Eric looks into the audience to see his beautiful bride throwing him a kiss. Not just one, but two, and then three. Could this be code for what was soon to come? Dare he dream such lofty dreams?
In light of this newly received revelation, Eric quickly brings his message to a close. As quickly as possible, he dismisses the congregation and heads for home to unlock the mystery of the three blown kisses. When he arrives home, full of anticipation of what’s on the horizon, he is shocked to find Melody at work in the kitchen. Melody had beaten him to the homestead and was already busily preparing the afternnon meal. Perhaps she was just filling time while waiting for Eric to cash in on the promise of kisses air mailed to him in Church. Eric lost no time approaching his bride with a heart and mind full of expectation. As he began to sweep Melody into his arms she abruptly brought his move to a close by reminding him that she was elbow deep in meal preparations. What?…Is there a disconnect here?…
Lest we weigh things down with unecessary detail, let’s cut to the chase. When asked what had gotten into him, Eric brought up the three blown kisses and explained that there must be only one explaination for a gesture such as that, and it wasn’t cooking dinner. To his surprise Melody explained that the kisses were a way of letting him know that it was time to bring his sermon to a close. As she looked around her she had noticed that those on the receiving end of the morning message were not nearly as enthralled as the one giving the message. As a matter of fact, she was of the opinion that the time had come for things to come to an end. Hence, the kisses…K.I.S.S…Keep it simple stupid. No hidden meaning. No secret invitation. Just a sign to stop rambling on. Simple, short and sweet, is many times better. Less truly is more.
There is a trend growing today toward simplification. Many are starting to realize that in our quest for more we have actually decreased the overall freedom and enjoyment of life. Just look at a typical child. Children and puppies are very similar when it comes to being simple. Have you ever bought an expensive item as a present for your child to find them playing more with the box than the toy? I have, more than once.
Most of life’s pleasures are simple. A sunset or sunrise. The sound of birds in the morning. A piece of fresh fruit. An ice cold drink of water on a hot summers day. A simple kiss from the one you love. Children are not complicated. They do not try to turn simple math into complex equations. They just take things at face value and don’t always look for hidden meanings.
In order to get the most out of our relationship with our Creator we need to approach Him as a child. Just love Him and let Him love love us. Don’t allow the complications of adulthood to hinder the simplicity of our relationship with our Daddy. Stop trying to figure everything out and just… Keep It Simple Stupid! Live from…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 308: The Faith of a Child: What’s it Look Like? – Part 4 – It’s “Simple”