How To Enter The Kingdom of Heaven

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“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
~ Mathew 18:3

In Matthew, Jesus states that one must "be as a child" to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  How is it possible for an adult to do that? For myself, I am so far removed from my childhood I can barely remember what it was like to be four or five. I have one vivid memory of the day I received balance from the god of bicycles and learned to ride my little black and white single speed bike.  Apart from that, it's a blur. 

So, this past Friday I'm working on a little project for a friend to build a deck out of rough cut lumber and I've got just about 3 hours to finish this thing before I have to get home.  Being a goals based person I play little games with myself like saying "in three hours I'll have "x" done."  So off I go pulling out my tools and gathering materials when a little boy comes along.  He's about Four and a half and he's got no qualms about asking questions.  

He pipes up and says "whatcha doin'?  Can I help?" 

"Oh god",  I think to myself.  "I'm never going to get this done today" But he's such an adorable kid I just can't say no and I think to myself "if you really believe what John Woolman said about letting love be the first motion" just make some room for this little guy.  So we start with little things -- how to use a clamp, nailing in balusters, using a stick of wood as a spacer so all the vertical bits look even, and using a level to get the balusters nice and plumb.  We're actually having quite a nice little time and then his cousins show up ... four girls.  And the chorus starts "can I help too?"  "Can I hammer a nail?" "What is that thing (a triangle) for?" 

And, as Kurt Vonnegut said "so it goes"   I'm the pied piper of construction and I've got all these little kids from about two and half to 10 years old working on the deck.  They're picking up wood scraps, running for screws, moving around tools and materials.  The whole vibe is like Santa's workshop.

And then it happens ... how I entered the kingdom of heaven. 

One of the kids is having trouble nailing in a nail.  It bends. She bonks her finger and yet, undeterred, she keeps trying but that darn nail just won't go in.  I'm about to step in and offer a little help when her older sister says "here, let me help you."  She shows her how to hold the hammer and where to stand to get the best swing (this older girls is like a pro after 3 or 4 balusters)  

And I step back.  And watch...  and wait ... 

And then it hits me ... THIS IS IT !!  This is the kingdom of heaven.  

If I had to qualify it here's what I'd say it is?  

It is the kid energy of openness, curiosity, willingness, eagerness, enthusiasm ... to learn, to help, to do, to be in the moment and not be too self-conscious.   Just being in the now. 

Oh ... and BEING A YES TO LIFE !!! 

And my day became perfect.  The railing was completed.  The kids learned something useful.  I learned how to be a child again.   

I entered the kingdom of heaven through these five wonderful kids.  

~ Joseph  olejak