Tumawag si Jesus ng isang bata, pinatayo sa harap nila at sinabi, “Tandaan ninyo: kapag hindi kayo nagbago at naging katulad ng mga bata, hinding-hindi kayo makakapasok sa kaharian ng langit. Ang sinumang nagpapakababa na gaya ng batang ito ay siyang pinakadakila sa kaharian ng langit.

Mateo 18:2–4

Looking forward ang first-time mom na si Mae sa first real smile ng baby niya. It happened one morning when her baby woke up hungry. She carried her in her arms and breastfed her, then suddenly she looked up and smiled at her. Oh, what a joy! Habang tinititigan ni Mae ang anak, her daughter didn’t take her eyes off her, too. She was so amazed dahil sa paraang ito naipapakita ng baby niya ang full dependence sa kanya.

Tulad ni Mae who delights in her daughter, God the Father takes pleasure in those who fear him and who hope in his steadfast love (Awit 147:11). Kaya sinabi sa Mateo 18:2–4 na kung tayo ay hindi magiging katulad ng mga bata, we’ll never enter the kingdom of God. Why? Because having a childlike faith means that we look up to our Father God with a solid faith, full trust, and full dependence.

If we focus our eyes on Jesus, we’ll surely learn from His example of obedience to His Father (John 6:38). Tulad ng mga sanggol na umaasa sa pag-aalaga ng kanilang mga magulang, we can elevate our faith by fully trusting God’s guidance para magkaroon ng magandang kinabukasan. Katulad ng mga bata, we can acknowledge na hindi pa natin alam ang lahat ng bagay, so we’ll be humble and learn from the Lord.

As we thirst and hunger for God, we can be like babies na nakatingin lang sa mukha ng ating magulang, waiting for them to smile back as we look up to them smiling.