Jesus said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3 NIV).

Every year at Christmas we fought an ongoing battle with a temperamental string of blue Christmas lights that stubbornly refused to light without extensive troubleshooting. Tempers frayed as our preschool twins did their best to get involved. One Christmas as the yearly pattern began to emerge, I suggested, “Why don’t we pray?”

My husband got his, “We shouldn’t bother God with these minor problems what with all the wars going on” look, but then conceded, “Okay, you pray.”

We joined hands, each placing our free hand on the string of unlit lights. “Dear Lord,” I prayed, “You know the problems we have every year with these lights…”

Just then there was a slight movement beside me. I opened my eyes just in time to see our small daughter place her hand beside ours on the tangled strands. Blue lights sparkled the instant her slender fingers touched them!

Angie, in her tender, childlike way, didn’t know or care that God had more important matters to deal with than our cantankerous Christmas lights. Her faith, unmarred by doubts and fears, had been the catalyst needed to plug into the power of God.

Help us, Father, to heed your counsel to become like little children. Amen.