Religion: A Pastor Ponders

Child's play

by Pastor William Jenkins

March 24, 2006

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Matthew 18:6, “Unless you change your outlook (insert here “be converted”) and become as little children, you will not make it to heaven.” Being like a child can be difficult for people who have convinced themselves that they must “grow up”. Growing up has the downside of making us old before our time.

Maturity is part of growing up, but it does not need to be equated with “growing old”. I know they are mature but I like it whenever my grown children act like kids, laughing, playing and pulling childish pranks on one another.

I tend to become too serious about things and have to work hard at not growing up. Like a lot of people I had to “grow up” prematurely. My goal in life has become to die young and to do it as late as I possibly can. I have discovered that life is a lot more fun whenever we allow our “inner child” to come out and play. Grandchildren make it much easier to keep the “little child” attitude. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.

Stuart Hample and Eric Marshall compiled a book of children’s letters to God which contain these examples:

• Dear God, I bet it’s hard for you to love the whole world. There are only four people in our family and I can never do it. – Nancy

• Dear God, In Sunday School they tell us what all you do. Who does it when you are on vacation? – Jane

• Dear God, Is it true that my daddy won’t get to go to heaven if he uses his golfing words around the house? –Norman

• Dear God, did you mean for giraffes to look like that, or was it an accident? –Anita

• Dear God, I went to a wedding and they kissed right there in church. Is that okay? –Darla

• Dear God, I think about you sometimes even when I’m not praying. –Elliott

Whenever we are amused by the things children say and do, it is because our inner child is waking up and responding to the upside of life. Such responses have the power to keep us young at every age. I think Jesus is telling us that heaven will be a fun place with lots of child’s play.

League City United Methodist Church is located at 1411 Main Street (FM 518), one block east of Interstate 45. For information, call the church offices at 281-332-1557 or visit the website at

HYPERLINK - http://www.lcumc.org