If you know me you know that I would usually go watch paint dry before I read a book in my free time.

We haven’t painted anything lately so I decided to pick up a book to read for… I can’t believe I am going to say this, for fun.

 I was reading a book (I know shocker right) called Heaven is for Real. This book is about a young boy, three to be exact, who had surgery and during it went to heaven and then returned. Through out the book his father talks about all the things his son has told him about heaven over his life thus far. Along with a new curiosity about heaven I also was able to understand humility a bit better. He talks about the disciples asking Jesus about who is the greatest in heaven and Jesus response of telling them those who humble themselves like children are the greatest. Then he wrote this:

            “Whoever humbles himself like this child…

            What is childlike humility?  It’s not the lack of intelligence, but the lack of guile. The lack of agenda. It’s that precious, fleeting time before we have accumulated enough pride or position to care what other people might think. The same un-self-conscious honesty that enable a three year old to splash joyfully in a rain puddle, or tumble laughing in the grass with a puppy, or point out loudly that you have a booger hanging out from your nose, is what is required to get into heaven.  It is the opposite of ignorance-it is intellectual honesty: to be willing to accept reality and to call things what they are even when it is hard.”

Jason is a 15 year old lil punk brotherish kid that basically lives with us here at the complex. The kid is a gifted speaker for his age. He talks with passion and an energy that could be compared to a kid of Christmas morning. When he speaks you can see the faith on his face. There is not one word that comes out of his mouth that he second guesses when he is preaching. I can remember the third or second time he spoke he said something along the lines of “Why in the heck are you not up here telling about God’s awesomeness.”

I tried to pay him a compliant one time about how well he speaks about the Lord. Before I was done he was shaking his head no at me and pointing up and then said “It’s not me it’s Him”.

No thank you. Instead direct credit to God.

A humility that is like a child.

He knows it’s not him. He knows that it is strictly God and he joyfully accepts that without hesitation or question. He doesn’t need lights pointing to him or any words affirming him that he is doing a good job. Actually he doesn’t even accept compliments. He is like a rubber ramp that bounces all the good he hears straight upward.

When I was thinking about him the song lyrics “Riches I need not nor mans empty praise thou my inheritance now and always” rang through my mind. This is an example that is in the flesh right in front of me.

What a friggin honor.

If you don’t understand it/struggle with it, don’t worry your not alone. I am riding that struggle bus too and have been for a long time.

But maybe if you ever have any privilege to work with children, pause before you start teaching next time.

Look at them and remember this is your opportunity to teach them, but also is a chance to learn.

Kinda humbling huh?