My little grandson, Noah, doesn’t mince many words. One time I picked him up from preschool and gave him a convenient snack when we got home. It was a package of yogurt and nuts in separate compartments that you tip together upon opening. I didn’t get it mixed to his satisfaction. I said, “I’m sorry, Noah, I am not familiar with how this product works.” He said, “Well, Papa, maybe you should take a class.” Booyah!

My heroes have always been kids because they are the straightest shooters. I have been taken to school by the unfiltered comments of elementary, high school, and college students in a lifetime of teaching them. Sometimes they are the only ones God can count on to say what needs to be said. “From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise” (Matthew 21:16). Hosanna! Hosanna!

The joy of Christmas for many adults comes from watching the children. They are mini beacons of the joy of salvation. They love the little Lord Jesus, and it shows. We think back to the time when our faith was like theirs. We wonder what happened to us. At what age did we start holding back? What disappointments piled up to dampen our praise?

Jesus likes kids too. And he warned us, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Luke 18:17). My New Year’s resolution is to hang on to my boyish tendencies as long as possible.