Matthew 18:1-14. Becoming as Little Children

In Matthew 18, Christ's disciples come to Him and ask, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" In response, he asks a child over to the group and puts him in the middle of them. He teaches, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

 There are negative ways in which we are sometimes like little children. We can be like little children in the sense that we are comparatively very spiritually immature, in the grand scope of things. None of us fully comprehend Heavenly Father's plans. We aren't able to bear everything we will ultimately need to yet (D&C 78:17-18).

Also, many of us are like little children in that, as Christ said, we haven't necessarily progressed to conversion in the gospel.

Heavenly Father will help us even though we don't understand His plans and are weak and are not yet where we need to be. He promises (D&C 78:17-18) to lead us along and help bring us to the blessings of salvation and eternity that are meant to be ours.

In Mosiah 3:19, King Benjamin lists a number of methods to become as a child in the sense we are commanded to, and qualities therein: we must put off the natural man and listen to and follow the Holy Spirit instead. We put off the natural man through the Atonement, and then we can become as saints, as little children, instead.

He says to become as a child is to be "submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father."

 I love how almost all of these qualities share a certain commonality. They all lead up to the final point. If we are full of charity--love of God and of righteousness, we will submit to God's will meekly, with humility, and patience, as we would submit to a loving father who we also love, and be able to become as little children.