What is it about children that Jesus saw in them role models for his followers? Jesus said,“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Quite frankly, anyone who would ascribe this saying to the innocence of children has never seen how nasty the playground can become. Perhaps the reason the Kingdom belongs to children is due to their persistently asking “why?” Instead of imagining that they have the answers, children are open to learning, to deepening their understanding how the world works. Adults have the illusion that they know what’s happening when we cannot, in fact, see the deep plan of God for the world. But maybe the real challenge for us to enter the Kingdom of heaven can be found in answering the question Bobby Kennedy used during his presidential campaign: “Some men see things as they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not.”
