When I think of greatness, I think of quality, achievement, and stature. I think of tacos, U2, and Steph Curry. I don’t usually think of kids. When I think of kids, I think: cute, sometimes funny, and, you know…loud. But when Jesus thinks of greatness, He thinks of kids. The reason why is vital.

In Matthew 18:1-5, Jesus is hanging with His disciples. His disciples were young, dedicated guys who were acutely concerned about their own position and their own stature – something we humans tend to do. The disciples were the outcasts. And they wanted to be great. So they asked Jesus a question: “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” In other words, “Jesus, when you think of greatness…what do you think of?”

Jesus’ response is counter-intuitive and counter-cultural. He calls a child over to them and says “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus turns greatness on its head. For Him, it’s got nothing to do with quality, achievement, or stature. It has to do with dependence. See, a child doesn’t have a resume. She doesn’t have a list of impressive references. She doesn’t have trophies, advanced degrees, or a high-paying job. She doesn’t have impressive skills, peak physical fitness, or a massive social media following. She has dependence. That’s it. She is utterly dependent on her Father for everything and, because of this, she’s radically receptive to Him.

That’s my challenge to you today: become radically dependent on God by becoming radically receptive to Him. This could look like many things, but here are three ways to live this out that will make you more dependent on God this week:

The child was only hanging out with Jesus because Jesus “placed the child among them” (v2). You have no business hanging in God’s presence except for His grace. Admit it on the daily and you’ll take a good, solid step toward dependence.

There are many areas of life where we aren’t sure of His will. But, for every one of those there’s about five more where we DO know it, and we just don’t do it. Surrender, friends. Admit that like a parent to a child, God has a better idea of how your daily life should go than you do.

This one should have been a no-brainer for the outcast disciples. Jesus’ last statement in verse 5 is profound. Here’s what Jesus is saying: Make my definition of greatness your own. Don’t categorize and fence someone out of your life because they don’t measure up to your broken, wordly standard of greatness. Instead, welcome the outcasts. Lest you forget: you were an outcast, too, before I welcomed you.

There’s nothing wrong with quality, achievement, or stature. Go ahead and attempt them. But don’t ever think for a second that you’re truly great because of them. God’s Kingdom doesn’t work like that. This should be really good news for us because it levels the playing field: Everyone can get in. Everyone can be great. Like a child.