Pac-man Cookies

If you take pride in your maturity being called child-like is an insult. Only when you are of advanced age do you appreciate someone guessing you to be much younger than the number of candles melting on your cake.

We spend our lives trying to act mature, be an adult, to be considered ‘grown-up’. Yet in scripture Jesus tells us we have to be like a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 18:15-17 NIV

But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

But… WHY? We consider being a child to equal a lack of maturity. How can you be a ‘mature Christian’ and still enter heaven like a child? The answer came to me while talking with my oldest nephew.

Children are amazing to talk with, to listen to, and are very entertaining to watch. I love everything about them. And a conversation with my nephew is always fodder for thought.

During a routine description of his afternoon, he shared with me that he got 2 “Pac-man cookies”. I murmured something appropriate and he continued to explain, “and it had a message inside”. He used the knowledge gained over the past four years to describe what he had seen and eaten. You and I would call them… Fortune Cookies.

When you think about it, it is an accurate description based upon past experience. Fortune Cookies look like one of his favorite computer game characters. So that’s how he explained them to me. He wasn’t seeking more information. He explained what he knew to be true. They were cookies. They looked like pac-man. They had a message inside. Why look deeper?

Which is how I came to understand entering the kingdom of heaven as children.

God reveals Himself to us in many ways. We pray, He answers and we see change. Maybe in ourselves, maybe in our surroundings, maybe in others. God takes action. We don’t always recognize it based upon past experience. We must have the right name for it. “That was God.” is not enough when something happens.

To recognize Him as an adult, His actions must fit into a particular box. Each of our boxes are labeled.

• This is how God shows me His goodness.
• This is how God shows me His mercy.
• This is how God shows me His love.
• This is how I know I’m in God’s will.

No wonder we get confused, lonely, and scared when God does not seem to act in the ways we have determined for Him.

God can take different shape. He can work through many others. And He loves to challenge us, to change things up. Remember, He created us in HIS image! He gives us the right to choose Him. Why wouldn’t God want to solve our problems and answer our concerns in different ways? Otherwise, what a boring job it would be to fit all His actions into our little labeled boxes.

Admit it. Talking to and dealing with adults can be very, very boring.

How does God want us to act like children?

God wants us to view Him with wonder.

My nephew is always amazed at all the things I know and can do.

God wants us to love Him and all the ways He provides for us.

When asked what his mommy’s job was, my nephew told my sister “Your job is to take care of ME!” No one does it better. Does he really know all that she does to protect and care for him? No. And he never will. At age 4 he doesn’t question that she loves him, provides for him, and takes care of all his needs.  His doubt about her actions and choices will begin only as he becomes more ‘adult’.

God wants us to worship Him with our voices, our music, and our very lives.  And to pray without ceasing.

My nephew wants to spend every minute I am there playing, talking and just enjoying our time together.  Nap time separates us, which means nap time can become a struggle.  On a recent visit he was so excited about my presence he wanted me to spend ‘the whole day’ with him at preschool.  When I declined, he invited his entire preschool class back to my sister’s home so they could meet me.   In less than 5 years, I doubt he would relish me spending an entire day at school with him.  By the time he is a ‘young adult’ even a hug will probably embarrass him in front of his friends.

Is that how we treat God?  No wonder He wants us to be like little children.

Will you let Him be the ‘pac-man cookie’ in your life?  Will you stop trying to micro-manage God and put Him into a pre-labeled box?  How about treating God like you are a child again?

I am a “Child of God”.  I need to start acting like it.

As for my nephew, he enjoys playing pac-man and trying to eat all the ‘jelly fish’.  I cherish every single day I get with him.  He’s teaching me so much just by telling me about his trip to the mall and what he had for dinner.

And God knew the message in his pac-man cookie was for me.