Kingdom Kids

My three-year-old granddaughter Abbie notices things others tend to overlook.

"Look at the ant, Papa," she says, and I crouch down with her on the sidewalk.

Then we hear a sound overhead. "Airplane!" she shouts, and we watch the plane pass by.

Most days I don't give ants and airplanes any thought at all, but they're pretty special in the eyes of a three-year-old.

When my daughter Melinda was in elementary school, she was already smart enough to beat me in chess. And she asked lots of questions I found difficult to answer. "Dad, what do lightning bugs do during the day?" ("I don't know, honey, I guess they just sleep and give their little lights a rest.")

"How can birds sit on power lines without electrocuting their feet? When the wind blows the leaves away in the fall, where do they go?"

Once I referred to a friend as an intellectual. Melinda asked, "If you call someone an intellectual because he's smart, then if someone is very sensitive why don't you call her an 'emotional'? Or if someone is very strong why don't you call him a 'physical'?"

Why, indeed?

When I traveled to Ethiopia on a mission trip, I told my children that I would be on a plane for nearly a whole day because Africa is on the other side of the world. Melinda looked puzzled. "The earth rotates on its axis, right?" she asked. I nodded. "So why couldn't you just go up in a helicopter and hover until the earth turned under you, and then when you came down you'd be in Ethiopia!"

Maybe if I were an intellectual I'd be quicker with my answers.

The Bible says a lot of impressive things about the kingdom of God. The prophet Daniel predicted a messianic kingdom that would never be destroyed. Before Jesus was born an angel told Mary that her baby's kingdom would never end. Wise men came asking, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?" The sign above the cross read, "JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS." Even the thief crucified next to him said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

The apostles taught new Christians, "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done," and he said, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).

When asked who will be the greatest in God's kingdom, Jesus answered, "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3, 4).

Why did Jesus use a child for an illustration? Children are time-consuming, expensive, and messy. You've heard the old proverb, "Cleanliness is next to godliness"? If you have young children at home, you know another proverb: "Cleanliness is next to impossible!"

But the Lord saw in children some essential qualities of his kingdom citizens. Children are curious and teachable. They are humble and willing to trust. They receive and give love freely.

Melinda is grown up now, and she can still beat me in chess. But I have learned to observe the chess game's most important rule: Always keep your eyes on the king. No matter how many clever moves you make, you're going to lose if you forget about the King.