Introduction
We know well the teaching of Jesus: “Unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” A child claims nothing from this world. They walk in constant wonder, always asking “Why?”—ready to receive what they hear as truth. This is why we must take great care: what we speak and how we instruct must be true, or we invite judgment upon ourselves.
The first and most influential teacher in a child’s life is the parent. If that parent walks in falsehood, the child’s foundation will be corrupted. This is a sobering reality—and an awe-inspiring responsibility. For children instinctively perceive who we are and what we truly project. They are far less easily deceived than we imagine; they simply lack the words—yet—to express the truths they sense.
But as the years pass, the lives of both parent and child are met with the deafening noise of the world. That noise grows louder with time, drowning out the quiet voice of the One who is always speaking to the heart. The command to “train up a child in the way he should go” becomes harder with each passing day—not only for the child, but for the parent as well, for both are worn by the same clamor.
Holy innocence cannot be preserved by human effort alone. It requires divine intervention—an invasion of the Spirit of God from beyond the reach of worldly corruption. Without Him, the innocence heaven cherishes is inevitably eroded.
Then comes the day when the child steps into the realm of personal accountability. The parent’s voice fades, and the world—with all its multitudes—takes up the role of teacher. Click here for my Blog “Everyone Is A Teacher”. Holy innocence, once a treasure, is often ridiculed. In our age, to be innocent is to be labeled ignorant, inexperienced in the ways of the world, and unfit to influence its affairs.
My burden in this reflection is this: how do we preserve and reclaim holy innocence? How do we become—and remain—what I call an Eternal Child?
A Child’s Respect
My father died when he was 57 years old. His death was combat-related. He fought in North Africa and Sicily. He was mustered out of the Army when in North Africa. He couldn’t walk well enough to get out of his foxhole, having been standing in water for three days. In his day, it was called “shell shock”; today, it is PTSD. He seldom worked out of the home. Most of his latter days were spent in our neighborhood grocery store, which was run out of our house. In the city, it would be called a “Bodega”. We were not Hispanic or in the city; it was simply “Perry’s Grocery”. We sold everything: canned goods, cold cuts, ice cream, vegetables (onions, potatoes, etc.), OTC drugs, soft drinks, pipes, cigars, and beer, along with penny candy and a few toys. Bread was 20 cents a loaf. Milk is also 20 cents a quart with a 5-cent refund for the glass bottle return.
In my preadolescent years, I called my father Daddy and my mother Mommy. Later, as I grew in age, that became Dad and Mom. Never pa, pop’s, or papa, and never Father, that was too disrespectful. Certainly never “The Old Man”, that was way over the top honorific. The Old Man” is our sinful nature.
When it comes to my Heavenly Father, however, I usually call Him Father or “my Father in Heaven.” At times I call Him Adonai, and in worship El Elohim Adonai – The Lord God Almighty. (“Adonai signifies the personal, intimate, and loving aspect of God, while Elohim represents the power and majesty of God, often associated with nature and creation”.) I never got used to calling Him “Daddy,” although I know some do. To me, that is much too intimate a title for God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe. Jesus called Him Father and at times Abba. Abba is Aramaic for Father, but conveys intimacy as does Daddy. Jesus was much more intimate with the Father than I am at the moment, but He communicates a nature that I want to attain.
I feel the innocence of a child is projected in how you call and treat your earthly father. He may have been anything but a good father, but honor and respect for his position is still called for from a child of God.
I Wonder
“A child’s wonder is nearer to the truth than an adult’s knowledge.” — OC
I find myself wondering—Is God’s will truly being fulfilled in me?
The days grow louder, more crowded with noise, and His voice seems harder to hear. I hear echoes of the ancient cry, “Put Him to death,” still rising in our own time—not only in far-off nations, but sometimes even within our own. For too many, there is no room for Him—no space in their inn, nor the inner chambers of their spirit.
The world never stops pressing something into our hands to do. Waiting feels like a waste. Pausing feels like failure. Enjoying the journey is called “unproductive.”
And so, I wonder: How can I quiet the clamor of the outside world and turn wholly inward toward Him? Scripture tells us, “Spirit speaks to spirit.” That is what I long for—a communion of deep intimacy with my Father, found only through prayer and worship.
But true prayer is not my will dressed in religious words. It is not demanding outcomes, even when using Scripture to justify my stance. It is not a tool to bend heaven to my desires. Prayer, in its purest form, is holy, intelligent surrender—nous—aligning myself with His will alone, stripped of all self-interest and outside interference.
In the book of John, Jesus prayed:
“…that they (we) may be one, even as we are one… that they (we) may all be one, just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they (we) also may be in Us…” — John 17:11, 21 ESV
This is the Father’s will—that we be one with Him, as Christ is one with the Father. This is the prayer that should always be on our lips and alive in our hearts.
Can there be any higher request? I believe not.
God Our Father
We realize that God is our Father because of Jesus Christ. Everything He did was to please His Father – and so should we. He even taught us how to pray, “Our Father…” Therefore, we must be the Father’s son – not begotten but adopted, having the same privileges as the firstborn, Jesus Christ.
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:15-17
“Because of the Father’s love for Christ, the Father has adopted us into the royal family, making us joint heirs with Christ. We are beloved of the Father because He is beloved of the Father, and we ought never to forget that. He is the eternal object of the Father’s affection, and we are the Father’s gifts of love to His Son. We are adopted by the Father in Christ, and the Father loves us because we are in the Son.” R. C. Sproul “The Eternal Love of God”
Eternal Children
There was only one “Eternal Child” and He is no more – a child. From birth to resurrection, Jesus Christ was an eternal child always looking to His Father for His next assignment. He was raised in the “way He should go”.
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.” Luke 2:52 ESV
“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.” Hebrews 5:8 ESV
Side Note: It is interesting to note that He “Learned obedience through what He suffered”. I wonder, how do we learn obedience? I think that sometimes we need to learn to accept our suffering to do so, and rejoice in our suffering, for He has found us worthy.
When I say “eternal,” I am speaking of Jesus’s child-like behavior toward His earthly father and His heavenly Father from birth through His death on the Cross. This is the behavior we should all acquiesce to, and it will not stop at our death but continue throughout eternity as we continue to submit to Him and the Father. Jesus is no longer a child; He and the Father are one. Upon returning to His heavenly domain, He again resumed being the second person of the Trinity. Historically, He went from the second person of the Trinity to God incarnate – a child – then back to the second person of the Trinity, but now with a transformed body as ours will be. Remember, He was the “…first-fruits of those fallen.” The first to enter into the immortality of body (He had no body before the incarnation) and spirit. We follow next.
(Note: There are a lot of theological discussions surrounding my thinking. My only intent is to regard Jesus as no longer a child seeking His Father’s will, as He was while incarnate (in human form), but as the third person of the Divine Trinity before his incarnation and being first-fruits after His resurrection, as scriptures declare. In clarification, there appears to be an added component to His being after His resurrection.)
“Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 ESV
“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first-fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 ESV
When this occurs to us, we will all be eternal children subject to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit as one. If Jesus Himself prayed “…that we) they also may be in us…”. Will it not be so?
Conclusion
We believers should always be asking our Heavenly Father, why, why, why. This is the way of a child. Everything we do should be in keeping with trying to please our Father. We must be aware, always, that we are our Father’s son, adopted, not begotten. And, being such, we have the same ownership to son-ship as Jesus, because the adopted son always has the same right as the first-born “…fellow heirs”. I often think we forget this awesome truth. I know I do. Not only is this mystery difficult to believe, but we still ask – how?, and why? What kind of God is this? What kind of love is this? Some day, this son (me and you) will know. Until then, I am a child, knowing so little and asking so much. This is a good thing.
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12
Enough Said
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.” Jeremiah 15:16 ESV
