Like a child: reflections on a mission trip

Christian Century, July 15, 2008 by Gordon Atkinson

One of the great, enduring mysteries of the Gospels is the command of Jesus that we become like children. He said, "Unless you become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

"And how shall we become like children?" we ask him, reminiscent of Nicodemus. "Can a grown person become a child again? Can I enter again into my mother's womb?"

I spent a week in the care of brothers and sisters in Christ in Santo Domingo. Yes, you can become a child again. But do not think it is something you will recover from quickly. When you become vulnerable and allow your life to rest in the hands of others, you live only in the present moment. Your eyes are open to the world around you. In that moment you begin to understand what it means to live in the kingdom of heaven.

And you may find, to your joy, that it is hard to find your way back home.

Gordon Atkinson is the author of Real LivePreacher.com (Eerdmans), a collection of essays from his blog of the same name.