Jesus’ love for children is shared in story after story. This is not really a mystery; while a cynic may think of them as gullible or easily led, Jesus can see their heart. Children are not jaded or hardened by the world, and in that way make themselves more receptive to God’s work in their life.

At some point, we all learn that we have to pretend. Whether to fit in or be accepted, we change who we are exteriorly and ensconce our true selves deep inside. Though we are seeking comfort, we tell ourselves a lie. Through this play theater, we tell ourselves that who we truly are is not good enough. The danger of this lie is that it runs counter to God’s truth: we are wonderfully and fearfully made.

Whenever I want to challenge my thinking, I think about space. Earth is a massive place; even America is of size. It can take me two full days of driving at 70 miles per hour and I still can’t go from one end to the other. Zooming out, Earth is floating in a vast expanse of emptiness so large that I cannot comprehend it. This expansiveness is akin to the things of God. His goodness, His love, His wisdom, His everything is so wide, so complete, so whole that my brain just cannot process it.

It’s like St. Peter walking on water. When he believed that he could, through the power of God, walk across the flowing waters, he did. Then he did what we all do; he doubted. Suddenly, he collapsed into the waves and had to be saved. When St. Peter accepted what Jesus said in an act of childlike surrender, he experienced God’s power. When he doubted, placing his trust in himself, he failed.

Childlike does not mean unthinking. God created the animals, but He didn’t enter into relationship with them. He gave them instinct, not intellect. He doesn’t force Himself on anyone, nor impose His love on those who reject it. Children run to adults and embrace them, or cry the second someone they would rather not be near picks them up. Childlike means accepting the Word of God and embracing it wholly because of the trust we have in its Source.

Trusting in God rather than ourselves is a great act of moral courage, and even when we do have a powerful experience of God, maintaining that trust is difficult. Our brains, and occasionally, our hearts, tug us in the wrong direction out of an instinctual attempt to protect us. But we don’t need protection from God or His Will in our lives. We need to find ourselves at rest in Him when we lay everything down. When He promises us the great things He has prepared, we only need to accept and participate in His plan, which is far and away better than anything we could’ve dreamed up for ourselves.