You must be as a child. What did Jesus mean by that? Innocent. Pure. Angelic. Selfless. Forgiving. Trusting. Trustworthy. Remember what it was like before you had the cares of the world on your shoulders and the worldly matters ... IN YOUR MIND? When you see a child now, do you ever wish you could be a kid again? Jesus wants you to be. Not in the sense of being three foot tall with a dirty face and your sneaker laces always untied, but to have the kind of dedicated belief that a child has. They're devoted. Their minds are clean. They don't have adult worries. All they need is to love and be loved. They believe. They believe they can swing on a swing and touch the sky. They believe their Guardian Angel takes care of them. They believe that a kiss can heal a boo boo, and they believe that God hears their prayers.

Jesus wants us to be like that. He said, Unless you be as a little child, you won't get into Heaven. It's the world that has CON-vinced us to believe that being childlike isn't a good thing. Even the word childish makes you feel ashamed. But that's not what Jesus said, so don't let the world get you confused. The next time you get the chance, challenge yourself to this: Don't worry what other people think, be as a child. Swing on a swing, throw a stone into a lake, color a picture with a brand new box of crayons, stomp in a puddle, devour a chocolate ice cream cone, and kneel down next to your bed and whisper, Now I lay me down to sleep. You don't need to be embarrassed, because that's what it takes to get to Heaven.

While you're at it, check out how much easier it is to just plain feel good while you're doing those things. Why is that? Because you put all those things aside that are in between you and God, and that allows you to be closer to Him. You may not even be conscious of it, but isn't that what it was like way back when you didn't have all those things to be concerned about when you were a child? Isn't life funny? When you're a child, you can't wait to be an adult. Now that you're an adult . . . guess what! It's cool to be a child!

Whoever receives a child like this in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, receives Him that sent me. Why not try a prayer something like this: Dear Father, In the name of Christ Jesus your precious Son, at one with the Holy Spirit, please bless me with a childlike spirit and help me to receive Jesus as a child. I ask you to please remove all thoughts that may hinder me from being childlike and I praise you and thank you for your help in this because I've forgotten how to do it. I love you, Father. Thy will be done. Amen.