“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:3 (NIV)
Have you ever struggled, as I have, with wanting a deeper faith? You want to please God, but you wonder: Am I doing enough? You read your Bible, attend church, pray, and try to be a good example—but sometimes it feels like going through the motions. You long to experience His peace, His presence, His joy, yet instead you feel weary from striving. Is this what faith is supposed to look like?
As a mom of five, I often wrestled with my shortcomings—not only as a mom and wife, but as a child of God. I grew up believing love and acceptance were based on performance, and that mindset carried into my faith. Even though I knew salvation was by grace through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8–9), I still lived as if my spiritual disciplines were what earned God’s approval. I quietly feared that when bad things happened, it was God’s punishment, unknowingly shaping how I lived.
In His mercy, God gently revealed these lies and brought me to one simple verse that shifted everything:
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 18:3
What does it mean to become like little children?
I’ve been given the gift of 14 grandchildren, and they have taught me more about this verse than any book ever could. One day I took my twin 3-year-old grandsons and my 18-month-old granddaughter to the park. Riding on bike, scooter, and stroller, what should have been a 15-minute walk became an hour-long adventure.
We stopped for rocks, sticks, and “treasures.” They crouched to study a line of ants. They lit up when a fire truck honked, cheering with delight. They peppered me with questions, trusting I knew every answer. They weren’t worried about how long it would take to get to the park. With carefree trust, they rode along, believing I would lead them safely, delighting in every moment of the journey. My granddaughter sang her own little song, content just to be with us.
In that moment, I saw childlike faith displayed.
Children live with trust, dependence, humility, openness, and wonder. They are free from striving, secure in love, and confident in the one who leads them. They find joy in being with us, learning and growing along the way.
This is the faith God calls us to—a faith not rooted in performance but in relationship, not in striving but in His sufficiency. In childlike faith, we discover the treasure of simply being with Him, and our actions become only about serving others for His glory. It is then that we experience what our soul longs for: rest in His presence, confidence in His leading, and security in His love—enjoying the journey as well as the destination.