Elder Samuel Gustafson: Become as Little Child

Office Elder generation photo

In the last couple of days I've been thinking about becoming as a little child. I want to share just a couple of the experiences that I have had in the last couple of days that are helping me to remember this principle and become as a little child.

There was a baptism of a Chinese man living here. The Elders found him through a member and have been using the missionaries in France to teach him in Chinese. It was amazing as he was baptized to think about his journey to find Christ, having to emigrate from his country, and his process in finding the church through one of his friends and the conviction that he has because of the adversity that he has had to face. As he rose from the waters of the pool where he was baptized he looked at everyone just happy as can be. He was then able to bear his testimony, in Chinese, and even though it was not understood with the mind it was definitely understood by all because of the emotion that poured into what he said. I am grateful for Chun because of his example of his ability to communicate even though he doesn't use a lot of words, that we can understand.

Another experience from this week happened when we were waiting for church to start. I was sitting there, we were about 45 min early and no one else was around, when a little girl walked in and sat down next to me and just starting talking to me. For the next 45 minutes we sat there talking and becoming friends. I love how little kids are able to make friends with anyone, they aren't worried about what others think about them, they just love. As our intermediate hymn we sang "Come, Follow Me" or in Spanish "Venid a Mi". It is one of those hymns that aren't translated word for word and I love the Spanish version, as it goes through several of the invitations that Christ invites us to do. In the fourth and fifth verses we sang (in rough translation) "Let the children come to me. He commanded with great love, and in his arms he took them and blessed them. Make yourselves into children such as these, if you want to enter into my kingdom in order to inherit my glory and enjoy eternal life." Essentially, as Christ teaches in Mathew 18 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." We must be humble in order to enter into the kingdom of God accept Him and His commandments so that we can return to be with Him.