Except you become...

"And He said unto them, 'Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.'" Matthew 18:3

Finding Neverland is an absolutely brilliant movie and one that I would recommend whole-heartedly. The story is about J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan and the inspiration that he receives from his real life interactions with a widow and her four sons.

I was struck by the Christian truths found in this production and just had to share a few. As the Matthew 18 passage states, except ye become as little children..." so this movie explores the coming into "adulthood" and losing the aspect of being a child. The results manifest themselves as stodgy, overbearing, and a grumpiness that infects all that takes place during the day. It affects the reviewers of theater so much as to cause the character played by Dustin Hoffman to exclaim that the critics have destroyed the magic, the art of the stage. The "adult" attitude causes the mother of the widow to shut out the very thing that is giving her extended family a breath of fresh air and an insight into what an imagination can do to improve one's outlook on circumstances.
The movie's main theme is that of "Finding Neverland" and the process that an adult goes through in order to awaken the life that they felt as a child. The results of the awakening translate that into an adult existence that has the joy and the innocence of their youth, but with a demeanor and poise that denotes maturity. It is a balance of childlike love and innocence, tempered with an adult maturity, completed and made whole with love.

A paraphrase in the movie goes something like this: "But children began to become serious and wanted to grow up and no longer believe in the magic and excitement that they felt as a child." This "grownup" sentiment was certainly felt by the critics of the theater that were more concerned about they themselves being impressed by some great intellectual work, then allowing themselves to be caught up in the emotion and power of the story. It took the innocent joy and excitement of children to get them past their preconceived ideas of how life is and how it should be viewed.
I could not help but search my own heart as I was watching this movie and identify with the emotions that were presented. So often I've taken for granted, and have become calloused to the work that Christ did for me on Calvary as well as for the relationship that He desires to have with me on a moment-by-moment basis. A relationship that is not founded on my "grownup" ideas of what I view life to be, but rather on a child's look at the love and the grace of an Almighty Savior that came to this world to save us from the self that governs each of our lives. Our depraved man, our Adam, would tell us that Christ's work on the cross was nothing more than a one-time event, one that we can look back on and remember with gratitude and with sadness. Our self tells us that we must accept this forgiveness, but then, that we must turn that grace and love that Christ showed us on the cross and use it as a tool of our own to bring people unto our own way of thinking. Gone is the magic, the excitement of a relationship with a Person. Instead, we find ourselves bound to a system of rules and regulations where we attempt to live out Christ's life and power on our own strength and desire. We look like the stuffy critics in the theater; wrapped up in our own understanding and viewpoint, and unwilling to adopt the mind of a child and see Christ as the Person that He is. He is not something that we can wrap our minds around, or someone who we can manipulate into getting what our selves want. He is so much more than anything that we can think, but we settle on making Him a figure in our minds eye, rather than a live person that longs to commune with us. Gone is the laughter that characterizes Him in Psalm 45:15 and Psalm 105:43. Replacing it is the disciple’s admonition for him to rebuke the little children, the callous shoving away of a heart that is on fire for Christ, a heart that yearns to be near Christ. Instead of rebuking the children, Christ says in Luke 18:16 "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."

Oh Lord, let our hearts not grow faint toward You. Father, may your love keep us tender and excited in your presence, always yearning for more of Who You are, and not more of what our self tell us. Father, open our hearts unto Your spirit, and our eyes to see life as You would see it. Eyes that continually are looking for the power of Your love, and the healing of Your grace. Let us always be on the lookout for ways to share that childlike love, that childlike faith and mercy to those around us. Father, we pray that we would not become caught up in the religious practice of You, that we would not just go to church and call ourselves Christians because it salves our consciences, but let us be children in your eyes, coming before You daily, broken and contrite, humbled to be in Your household, loved by You. Jesus, we love you and ask for Your Spirit to come upon us every day. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
May the Lord bless you all as you seek Him as a little child.