D. Elton Trueblood Quotes

When our Lord says, we must be converted and become as little children, I suppose he means also, that we must be sensible of our weakness, comparatively speaking, as a little child.

I'm trying to imitate Jesus in the fact that he said to be like children, to love children, to be as pure as children and to make yourself as innocent and to see the world through eyes of wonderment and the whole magical quality of it all.

It confuses me that Christian living is not simpler. The gospel, the very good news, is simple.

Within the context of listening and understanding and walking with people together, we discover anew what were the teachings of Jesus, what he presented to us.

God's deepest secrets often miss the wise and prudent and are revealed unto babes. We say, "Children, be like your parents." Jesus said, "Parents, be like your children."

God wants a child's heart and a grownup's head.

Is not Jesus pointing to children even as models for grownups?

O God... make me a child again, even before I die; give me back the simple faith, the clear vision of the child that holds its father's hand.

If you want to work for the kingdom of God, and to bring it, and enter into it, there is just one condition to be first accepted. You must enter into it as children, or not at all.

For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.

In the spiritual life one becomes just like a little child, without resentment, without attachment, full of life and joy.

He (God) can be revealed only to the child; perfectly, to the pure child only. All the discipline of the world is to make men children, that God may be revealed to them.

Like the Bible says. A child should be leader of them all, and to be led by that kind of innocence. Didnt Jesus say bring on the children? Be like the children. Not childish, but child-like. That kind of innocence.

We must remain as close to the flowers, the grass, and the butterflies as the child is who is not yet so much taller than they are. We adults, on the other hand, have outgrown them and have to lower ourselves to stoop down to them. It seems to me that the grass hates us when we confess our love for it. Whoever would partake of all good things must understand how to be small at times.

Brethren, do not become children in sense: but in malice be children, and in sense be perfect.

Kids need to see that Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to us. And they need to know it can happen to them.

As St. Paul points out, Christ never meant that we were to remain children in intelligence: on the contrary, He told us to be not only "as harmless as doves," but also "as wise as serpents." He wants a child's heart, but a grown-up's head.

Let us pray that the Church be holier and more humble, loving God by serving the poor, the lonely and the sick.

My mother made it seem perfectly normal for thousands of people to be cheering me, as if there was nothing special going on. I thought all children must live as I did.

Meditation is the art of cleaning your mirror from all the dust that the society, the religion, the educational system has poured on you, to take away everything that has not been born with you, to bring you to your absolute innocence as you were born as a child.

[T]he kingdom of heaven is of the childlike, of those who are easy to please, who love and who give pleasure. Mighty men of their hands, the smiters and the builders and the judges, have lived long and done sternly and yet preserved this lovely character; and among our carpet interests and twopenny concerns, the shame were indelible if we should lose it. Gentleness and cheerfulness, these come before all morality; they are the perfect duties.

No true Christian can carry within his heart hatred for any of God's children . . . I am as aware as any other Christian that our Savior was Jewish, His mother was Jewish. The Apostles were Jewish. The first martyrs were Jewish...So no true Christian, in my judgment, can be an anti-Semite.

To be friends with God means to pray with simplicity, like children talking to their parents.

God would behold in you a simplicity which will contain so much the more of His wisdom as it contains less of your own.