One of my favorite things about kids is their authenticity. When they are scared, they cry and ask to be held. When they are happy, they will giggle and dance. Rarely do they attempt to hide their feelings. This often leads them to say ‘the darndest things’. One such incident happened yesterday when I was cleaning a glass door that leads into a classroom. A little boy watched contemplatively while I sprayed Windex and wiped it down. Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, he blurted out, “Why are you doing that?”

“Because I’m cleaning off the smudges.”

“Why?” (his favorite question)

“Because it’s dirty.”

“For my mommy?”

Now this was cute. All I could respond with was “Um, sure!” But this got me thinking.The only thing the little boy was concerned with was pleasing his parents.

Shouldn’t we be this committed to God? So obsessed with Him that the mundane tasks are for His glory? Do we wash windows in a way that would make Him smile? Is His approval what we crave most?

Maybe this is what Jesus meant when he told the bickering disciples to humble themselves like a child (Matthew 18:4). To perform for an audience of One, knowing that His opinion is all that matters.

"At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." --Matthew 18:1-4