5 Ways to Have a Childlike Spirit

5 Ways to Have a Childlike Spirit

June 14, 2016

Psalm 131:1-3

Jesus encourages us that if we are going to be in the kingdom of God and participate with God in His work, we need to have a child-like spirit.

Having a child-like spirit is not the same as being childish. Being childish acting with the maturity of a child even though you are an adult. Having a child-like spirit is a matter of the heart. David describes qualities that come from the mature character of a person who wants to follow God.

David wrote and sang about these qualities.

FIVE QUALITIES OF A CHILD-LIKE SPIRIT

To have a child-like spirit, I need to be:

1. Humble with my heart (Psalm 131:1)

My desires line up with God’s desires. I don’t immediately desire to be selfish.

2. Content with people (Psalm 131:1)

I am not arrogant. My eyes do not search for ways to be better than other people.

3. Aware of my limitations (Psalm 131:1)

There are things children can’t do because they are children. They are too small, or lack the know-how, or don’t have the skills to do certain things. Maturity is knowing that is true about myself.

4. Calm and quiet in times of difficulty (Psalm 131:2)

There are stressful times in life. Being calm and quiet during these times of difficulty says much about how much of a child-like spirit we carry around. How we protect ourselves when things are tough is a very good indicator of our character.

A child is quiet and calm (Psalm 131:2) in difficult situations (Psalm 131:1) because the mother is there. The mother is a source of security, strength, and hope (Psalm 131:3).

5. Hopeful in every situation (Psalm 131:3)

Just as a child finds strength and security in the mother, I can find the same when I hope in God, my Heavenly Father.

To be hopeful means to have a sense of wonder and awe that God will take care of me.

Photo by Daniil Avilov on Unsplash