Not Doing but Done – October 8, 2024

[Jesus] said to them “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”
Mark 10:14,15

Not Doing but Done

There are some things children shouldn’t do because they just are too young and too little. Ask a young child to bake a cake from scratch, and you are probably in for a mess and not a cake. Ask a child to clean out the gutters, and there is bound to be an accident. Have a child put on the spare tire and I am willing to bet he won’t even get a single lug nut off, and you will be on the side of the road for a long time.

However, there are some things young children can be really good at, even babies. A young child can cry out in need. A young child can receive love. A young child can be cared for and looked after. Young children are not very good at doing, but they are good at receiving.

It is for these reasons Jesus invites the young children to him without hindrance. Even more than just inviting them, Jesus holds them up as models to everyone. It is not because they can do much but because they need much. “Everyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” With this stern yet beautiful invitation, Jesus invites us to lay down our greatest accomplishments and simply trust in him. Through trust, we receive the many blessings offered to us in the kingdom of God.

It is this act of simply receiving gifts that we get worse at as we get older. As we gain abilities, we want to show them off. We want to do more and show that we deserve things. However, our salvation is never something we can do; it must be done for us. As a child cries out and simply receives, may we cry out to God and receive his mercy, love, and forgiveness.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, give me a child-like faith that I would not work for my salvation but receive it only as a gift. Amen.