Take the Candy
If you offer a child a piece of candy, chances are they will snatch it right from you. After, when they’re finished eating it, they’ll probably open their sticky little hands and ask for more. They’re not worried about looking needy. They’re not worried about seeming weak. All a child is worried about is where the next piece of candy is coming from.
I don’t think this is what most people envision when Jesus says to be like children, but this sort of mentality is exactly what I’m striving for. Like most of us, I used to be that child--bold, expectant, and grateful for whatever was offered to me. Somewhere along the way, though, the lies of shame and pride planted seeds into my heart that grew into closed fists instead of open hands. With age and exposure to the darkness of this world instead of the light of heaven, I became convinced that I did not deserve to receive. I did not want to receive. I did not need to receive.
Full disclosure: I’m not talking about candy anymore. In actuality, I’m never one to turn down something sweet. Why, then, is the good news of Jesus, which holds the truth of our Father’s love, so hard for me to accept? Why do I struggle to believe that He gives Himself freely and without a catch? Why am I tempted to lean on my own strength instead of resting in the freedom of being a child of God?
I’m still working on that part. While I continue to wrestle with why it is so difficult, I know this to be true: receiving is imperative to having a genuine relationship with Jesus. If we are unwilling to accept the love and grace that He offers us, then we will never become familiar with His true character. Without receiving from God, we settle for a knowledge of him derived from secondary sources rather than first-hand participation. David Benner puts it like this:
“Because personal knowing is based on experience, it requires that we be open to the experience. Knowing God’s love demands that we receive God’s love—experientially, not simply as a theory. Personal knowledge is never simply a matter of the head. Because it is rooted in experience, it is grounded in deep places of our being.”
The Gift of Being Yourself
So how do we receive God’s love? I believe a good way to practice is by receiving from the people who reflect His character to us. Over the course of my internship with production, I learned to open my hands to God’s love because of the peers and staff who extended it to me tirelessly. Their gentle pursuit of caring for me created the safety I needed to come to terms with the fact that my worth is not in what I can do for God, but instead what He did for me.
If you’re also on the team, then I know you are surrounded by these same people who reflect the same love. Just as God showed His heart for me through these people, He will do so for you. If you aren’t a part of our team, then I encourage you to seek out a community that looks like Jesus. I know for certain that our production community, and this church as a whole, wants to love you how Jesus loves you. Now, I invite you to practice receiving it. Not with shame or with pride, but like a child who opens their hands and trusts that what they are about to receive is good.
“‘Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.”
Mark 10:15-16
Katie Melton
Katie volunteers running camera on our Sunday and Overflow teams. She was a Production Intern during her senior year of college in the 2020-2021 school year, and continues to be a strong leader on the team. She also leads a community group of college students at Overflow. – The Learning Together Team