Becoming as little children

". . . Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."--Matthew 18:3

I think this is a wonderful scripture. I always love to hear the testimonies of young children, the simplicity and faith with which they understand even profound doctrines. Most children tend to be very teachable and humble. They know when they are loved, and they reciprocate that love pretty much unconditionally. I love to think of the Lord's needing us to be like little children.

Christ was considered the least among His people, yet was the greatest of all men to walk this earth. Likewise, I believe that children, though considered by some to be lesser beings than adults, can actually be some of our greatest examples. I think that many people take perhaps too much pride in being grown up and out of the innocence of childhood (this is a phenomenon we know as "taking oneself too seriously").

I love to be like a little child, and in more ways than one. But today I want to focus on one aspect of childhood specifically, and that is the singing of songs, namely Primary songs.

I have always loved Primary songs; one of the best (at least in my opinion) home videos of me is when I sing "Give, Said the Little Stream" in just about the thickest Southern accent you'll ever hear. Singing time was always my favorite part of Sunday, with the only exception being taking the Sacrament whenever we used Mama's sourdough bread for it.

Yes, I was a very spiritual child.

In all seriousness though, this past Sunday, we had a stake fireside. We piled a bunch of people into one of the rooms in the Wilk. We sang several songs from the Children's Songbook and the members of our Stake Presidency and their wives bore their testimonies to us about them.

Once again, I was very impressed and grateful for the simple truths of the gospel of Christ that are taught to us at such young ages. We sang many of my favorite songs, the words of which bear pure testimony of the Church, of our Prophets, and of our Savior. It was exactly what I needed. Which, in short, means that it made me an emotional mess, but it was worth it. We concluded with "I Am a Child of God," and the Spirit hit me with enormous force, testifying to the truth of those words. I am a daughter of God. He loves me, leads me, guides me, and wants me to be happy. I may get discouraged and downhearted when things take a turn for worse in my life, especially when they are things I know I can control. But He is always there to love and comfort me.

How could the Father show how much He loves us? He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for us, but also to rise again and live for us! I know that to be true, and I love that truth. I love that I learned it as a child and, through humility like unto that of a child, I can remember it every day and live my life accordingly.