Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”
John 21:5
God created life to be circular. We have seasons and planets that move in a circular pattern. People give birth to people, who start in the womb, then come out, and grow up to produce more people, who start in the womb, come out, and grow up. Our ecosystem functions in a rotating, circular pattern. Plants give oxygen for humans and other creatures to breathe, and humans and creatures give off carbon dioxide for plants to “breathe.” We breathe the oxygen in and the carbon dioxide out, and repeat that circular pattern over and over. If any of these circular patterns stop, we die.
Most of us think linearly. “The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.” There is not a better phrase that punctuates the Western mindset. Therefore, we have months of the year, and we number them. January is first, February is second, etc. However, in a circular approach, which one’s first—January or December? Or which of the seasons—spring, summer, fall, or winter—comes first? Life is not that easy to dissect and peer at under an American microscope. In some ways, linear thinking can actually hinder us from growth.
Jesus called the disciples children, which carries an idea of freshness and new beginnings. When they first were called to follow Him, it was a new beginning, one about which they knew very little. They learned some remarkable things and experienced even more. They were in fact the most educated people with the most experience concerning the life, ministry, and death of Jesus on the planet.
That may be why Jesus called them children. He could have been revealing that they were starting a new chapter and were novices again; walking with Jesus is circular, and they were beginning a new day.
Remember in your walk with Jesus to remain a novice. Believe your beliefs, live from conviction, but remember that we see dimly. The greatest hindrances to the advancement of the kingdom can sometimes be the successes of the last advancement. Jesus is constantly doing new things, bringing new days with new lessons that are sure to challenge us. Do not let what you know keep you from what He wants to teach you in this season.
Have an expectation to learn something new today on your journey with Christ. Ask Him for a teachable spirit. The proverb says, “A wise man receives instruction.” That means a wise man does not know it all, but knows how to hear instruction. Wisdom is grounded in the reality of circular learning. Wisdom recognizes good instruction and applies it to life. Jesus once took a child and set the child in the midst of the disciples and said, “Unless you become like one of these you cannot receive the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:13-16). This means, far from being disqualified, little children epitomize how to enter the reign of God. They are not problems to be solved or extras to be managed; they are model participants and recipients. The process of maturity is the process by which the Resurrected Christ forms us to be more and more childlike. Because He has risen, He lives to walk with us through the different cycles of spiritual growth.
In reflecting on your walk with Christ can you identify some “seasons”? Some new beginnings? What were some of the challenges to embracing that season of life? What have you learned that is keeping you from moving on with the Lord? What challenges do you have in trusting and receiving the kingdom of God like a child?