“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (I Corinthians 13:11).

The halcyon, idyllic and peaceful days of childhood with fond memories of baseball, marbles, trading cards, hide and seek, shooting hoops, jumping rope, running, fishing, summer camps, sled rides, hay rides, and amusement park rides, roller skates, ice skates, and “skating on thin ice” with our very lives without a care in the world.

We spoke like children of fairy tales, and pony tails, riddles and rhymes, and sing along times.

We understood as a child with wondering “why’s”, and innocent cries for candy and pies; for cake and ice cream, marshmallows and pop, for pennies and nickels and if lucky a quarter, or maybe a dime. We had childish pleasures seeing rainbows, stary nights, and lightning, thunder, and lightning bugs and butterflies. Falling snow, “look out, below,” with snow ball fights and snow angels everywhere.

Where have all the angels gone? Were those childish pleasures just a dream? Or were they speaking something more to us than we will ever know?

What if we could change from childhood to manhood and retain the purity of heart, the guileless nature, and joy of exploration, and inquisitiveness of knowing God.

Sin is a very nasty thing; perverting, twisting, defiling and corrupting everything. The natural flow of childhood to manhood was interrupted, cutoff, and destroyed.

“Brethren, be not children in understanding; howbeit, in malice be as children, but in understanding be men” (I Corinthians 14:20), so says the Apostle.

“Wherefore, laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking. As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby; if so be you have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (I Peter 2:1-3).

Jesus said, “Whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:4).

The childish pleasure of humility, with hands lifted up to the Father. The childish pleasure of love, acceptance; the joy of friendship; the caring heart and the blessedness of the pure in heart (cf. Matthew 5:8); these shall see God.

There was One who successfully made the transition from childhood to adulthood without an interruption in the flow of the process. Jesus, the sinless One, the Holy One, the Pure One made it through. “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

Jesus had the childish pleasures fulfilled in Him and brought them into manhood; then laid everything down on the cruel cross for us; so, now we can all receive, speak of, think about and fully know what we were destined to be all along–conformed to the image of Christ.

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

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