How to Be a Child of God

I would like to take some liberty with the thinking of Joseph Chilton Pearce in his book, The Crack in the Cosmic Egg", in which he suggests imagination and non-ordinary consciousness is a way to crack the "cosmic egg" of logical constructs that begin limiting human potential in children and beyond.

     Introducing the Apostle Matthew, and his "take" on this phenomenon.

    "And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, 'Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’" (Matthew 18:1-4)

     From the early months of our childhood, and even in the womb, we begin to think and act according to the human and physical environment around us. This is undoubtedly positive and practical. But as Pearce suggests, as we grow, we grow into how and why we should act, leaving behind certain attributes.

Jesus is saying we are to be different, as a child.

     Consider Matthew's description from a child's standpoint and envision how it defines the relationship we should have with the Lord. On the one hand, Jesus is saying we are to be different, as a child. On the other hand, we are to be as a child in relationship to a loving heavenly Father.

     As a child, especially a small child, there is a dependence. At the root of that reliance is TRUST, whether it's an infant depending on the mother in and outside the womb, or a young child living in the loving care of parents.

     Then, as Matthew suggests, there is HUMILITY. As a child grows into a new and independent identity, there is still a degree of humility. As the child's ego begins to manifest itself, there is still a realization there is a dependency.

     When there is trust and humility, the need to obey remains a necessity. OBEDIENCE implies a surrender, an acceptance that someone else knows best and can be trusted to require of oneself what is best.

     Applying Pearce's theory to how we should act as a child of God, as we trust, obey, and remain humble in the presence of a loving God, this is can be an imaginative and non-ordinary way to crack the "egg" of logical constructs that limit our human potential to "become like children", as Matthew suggests.

In God’s Words

     "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 18:3)

     "The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (Rom. 8:16)

     “But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!’ they were indignant, and they said to him, ‘Do you hear what these are saying?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Yes; have you never read, Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies you have prepared praise’?” (Matt. 21-15-16)

In the Words of Others

“Childlike surrender and trust, I believe, is the defining spirit of authentic discipleship.” Brennan Manning

     “All spiritual things must have in them a childlike quality. The belief in immortality rests not very much on the hope of going on. Few of us want to do that, but we would like very much to begin again.” Heywood Broun

     “The child inside of you knows how to take things as they come, how to deal most effectively and happily with everything and everyone it encounters on this planet. If you can recapture that childlike essence of your being, you can stay 'forever young at heart.'” Wayne Dyer