Childlike Honesty

I was pediatric oncology nurse for 10 years and loved it. The hospital facility where I worked practiced primary care nursing so that whenever a patient was readmitted, they would have the same nurse for continuity of care. This was about the third admission for a little 5-6 yo girl diagnosed with cancer. Since she was diagnosed, she hadn't spoken much for months to anyone, even her mother. One night I came to work with my hair dyed brown when I usually had blond hair. I went into this little girl's room, did my assessment, made some small talk and of course didn't get a reply. Then as I was about to leave the room, she says, "Did you make your hair dark?" I said, "Yes, do you like it?" She says, "No, I think it’s really ugly!" Her mother was so embarrassed that this was her first words in months and tried to tell her that it wasn't nice to say that. I just thought she was telling it like it is! This is what I truly love about children; they will tell you exactly what they think. We all kept very straight faces and just kept right on talking- a little teary eyed. She talked from then on.



Just like children, we need to go to our spiritual Father to gain the knowledge we need to guide us in our spiritual lives. So how honest are we with God? Do we say what is in our heart? Or as we’ve grown older, have we lost the ability to be honest with Him and ourselves? I have found that when I’m not honest with God it shortens my “talks” with Him. Yet once I become like a small transparent child, the floodgates open.


One of my fondest memories is of an encounter with my oldest daughter when she was three and in pre-school. I arrived to pick her up and she was playing on the playground , so I decided to stay and play awhile. She came and sat on my lap and I asked her to tell me about her day. She replied with “You already know”. Confused I explored further, “why do you think I already know”. She looked at me and rolled her eyes stating simply” Mom , you always know everything I’m doing”.


She truly believed her mother was keeping watch on her even in my absence. While it seems the Lord gives an extra intuitive insight into our children’s lives, it is only the Father himself that has that ability. He knows our actions and innermost thoughts and is just waiting for us to come to Him and share with a childlike honesty. It’s only then can receive the answers we are looking for.


I went back to blond and have been ever since.


Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.Matthew 18:4-6