Children and Pharisees

"But Jesus said, 'Let the children come to me and do not forbid it; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.'"

Matthew 19:14

Children can spot a fraud.
My children have forced me to be real, whether I wanted to be or not. Life as a mom is just so up-close and personal with kiddos . . . and their imperfections bump into my imperfections. My "I've got it all together" pretense is shattered.
Maybe that's why Jesus liked children. They are so real. Open. Honest.
Jesus is so real. And, when he walked this earth, he was too open and too honest for the Pharisees. His honesty trumped their fraudulent attempts to be good. And they just hated that. It set their teeth on edge.
Wise Guy talks a lot about kingdom living, having a kingdom mindset. I know I've still got things to learn about that. It's one of the reasons I hang around Wise Guy: He knows some things I need to learn.
Living in the kingdom must have something to do with being like a child. Living honestly, not fraudulently.



Just Thinking Out Loud: Just for today, God, let me live honestly. Let me put aside my Accidental Pharisee attempts to be good. Instead, let me be real. Like a child is real. And may it be pleasing to you. Not in a "Do you like me now?" way. But in a "Now you're being who I meant you to be" way.