Becoming a Child
By Jeremiah
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes a humble place — becoming like this child — is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 18:3-4).
I woke up feeling pretty good about the day. The things on my to-do list wouldn’t take much time, and I could squeeze in some wrestling time with my 3-year-old son before his nap. I felt like our family had been making some progress in enculturating to life in a world so far away from home. I was even able to ask and pay for some facturas (donuts) at the bakery without causing any confusion. I was looking forward to making a difference today.
I have often taken pride in being able to relate to people well in some way with just about anyone. Yet, connecting with the youth in Buenos Aires was proving difficult for me. My attempts at connection were not translating through my broken Spanish, and oftentimes I became frustrated as conversations would end without resolution. Today I again prepared myself to struggle past common greetings in order to connect on a deeper level.
As we approached a group of our friends sitting in the plaza under a large tree, I was confident that today was going to be different. After handshakes and kisses on the cheek, I attempted to ask a few questions. Some of the youth gave simple one-word answers before turning away. Others ignored me altogether. I could feel the frustration rise inside me. I wanted to get in their faces and tell them about the sacrifices my family and I had made to be with them. I had so much that I knew I could offer, could teach and could bring to their lives.
After spending what felt like a few fruitless hours hanging out at the plaza, I came home still frustrated. Immediately my wife knew something was amiss. She helped me uncover my pride. Once again, I was forced to choose whether or not I was going to humble myself like a child — to accept my powerlessness — or to be the proud missionary who was going to change the world.
Henri Nouwen says, “The way of the Christian leader is not the way of upward mobility in which our world has invested so much, but the way of downward mobility ending on the cross. It is not a leadership of power and control but a leadership of powerlessness and humility in which the Suffering Servant of God, Jesus Christ, is made manifest.”1 As such, it is not for me to exert power over the youth on the street, to insist that they give ear to my “wisdom.” Rather it is for me to approach them with a childlike humility, to be willing to sit with them in my powerlessness, wanting nothing more than for the Suffering Servant of God, Jesus Christ, to be made manifest.
ENDNOTES
1 Henri Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus (New York: Crossroad, 2001), pp. 62-63.
Jeremiah is Servant Team Co-Coordinator in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He often can be found wrestling, dancing or playing with his three kids.