There’s a danger most of us don’t see coming. It’s subtle, slow, and it hides behind words like “maturity” and “wisdom.” One day you’re curious, willing, open to the unknown—and the next, you’re cautious, closed, and endlessly analytical. It doesn’t happen overnight, but if we’re not careful, the childlike wonder Jesus said was essential to enter the Kingdom can quietly slip away. When willingness, open-mindedness, listening, and agreement start to fade, so does our ability to move in step with God. And what’s at stake isn’t just how much joy or adventure we experience—it’s whether we’ll even recognize the opportunities God is placing right in front of us.
Here is an interesting truth: The older we get, the more difficult it gets to actually live an abundant and blessed life.
When you’re eight, you’ll jump off the roof into a kiddie pool because your cousin swears it’s “basically the same as Olympic diving.”
By thirty-eight, you won’t even switch brands of toothpaste without six weeks of research.
Somewhere between learning to drive and learning what “deductible” means, we lose the four qualities that make life—and faith—work:
Willingness
Open-mindedness
Listening
Agreement
Jesus said it like this, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).
That wasn’t sentimental. That was a Kingdom strategy.
1. Willingness
Willingness is saying yes before you’ve got all the information.
It’s the “Alright, let’s see what happens” that pulls you into God’s story.
Peter had it when he tossed the nets after an all-night fishing fail.
The leper had it when he said, “If you’re willing, you can heal me.”
Both ended up with more than they came for.
The problem? Adults learn to say no fluently.
We rebrand fear as “caution” and rejection as “discernment.”
But heaven reads it as “pass.”
If willingness was a dating profile, most of us have ghosted it.
2. Open-Mindedness
Open-mindedness doesn’t mean agreeing with everyone.
It means you leave room for the possibility that God’s doing something you didn’t see coming.
Proverbs 1:5 says:
“Let the wise listen and add to their learning.”
The Pharisees missed Jesus because He didn’t match their blueprint.
They wanted a Messiah in a war horse parade, not a guy in sandals having dinner with tax cheats.
Closed minds turn miracles into problems.
Open minds turn problems into miracles.
3. Listening
James 1:19 says:
“Be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to become angry.”
That’s adorable advice in theory. In reality, most people “listen” the way a cat watches you clean its litter box—pretending to care while plotting its next move.
Jesus, on the Emmaus road, knew the punchline. But He let the two guys talk themselves in circles before He revealed it.
That’s the skill: hearing someone’s whole story without interrupting to fix it or top it.
Listening is the Kingdom version of reconnaissance. It tells you where the enemy is, where the treasure is, and which door not to kick down.
4. Agreement
Amos 3:3 asks:
“Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?”
Agreement is like drafting in NASCAR. Two cars can go faster together than alone because of the slipstream.
It doesn’t mean you’re twins—it means you’re headed in the same direction and willing to share the lane.
Paul told the Philippians:
“Be of one mind, having the same love…”
Disagreement burns fuel. Agreement builds speed.
How We Lose It
Somewhere along the line, the superpowers get swapped for armor.
We put on skepticism.
We wear pride like cologne.
We double-down on our own voice and stop listening to anyone else’s.
We think we’re getting wiser. Really, we’re just getting harder to lead—by people and by God.
The Childlike Loophole
Jesus didn’t say “Act like a child.” That’s what’s happening in most political comment sections.
He said “Be like a child.”
Children trust fast.
They say yes before the fine print.
They try weird ideas.
They listen because they don’t assume they know everything.
And they agree because they’d rather keep playing than prove a point.
It’s not naive. It’s strategic.
It’s how you keep the Kingdom flowing through your life instead of stalling in the “Well, that’s not how we’ve always done it” lane.
The Takeaway
Say yes sooner.
Assume you’re missing something.
Listen longer than is comfortable.
Look for reasons to agree, not excuses to bail.
You don’t need to go back to your childhood.
You need to bring your childhood forward.
Because the Kingdom is wide open—but it’s only got a child-sized door.