When Jesus tells us to be childlike, He recalls the aspects of youth that are innocent and pure:

unquestioned trust in loving parents; amazement and joy over the wonders of the world; and excited
anticipation about the next adventure just around the corner.

Compare this to the mindset of many world-weary adults. A lot of folks these days have an unwillingness
or even an inability to trust anyone, mostly because they’ve been disappointed and hurt so often. They
also go thru life with a resigned boredom and ennui, convinced that life is a tedious chore to be endured
rather than an exciting adventure to be cherished.

When Jesus calls us to be childlike, He is telling us to stop being such bitter and cynical and untrusting
adults. He is telling us that the mercy and love and parental protections offered to us by our heavenly
Father are so amazing, we should never be fearful and jaded about life. The goodness of God far
outweighs any problems we encounter here on earth.

St. Paul, on the other hand, criticizes being childish. This is not the wide-eyed joyful wonder of being
childlike, but rather the immature and self-centered behavior of a spoiled brat. Let’s be honest, how do
most very young children act? They yell when they want something; they cry when they have the
slightest discomfort; and they try to grab whatever they can get their hands on, automatically assuming
it belongs to them. We expect this behavior from toddlers because they’re too young to understand. But
when people who are adults act this way, it’s not nearly as cute. It is instead awful behavior.

This self-centered attitude comes naturally to all human beings, especially when we’re young. As children
get older, if they are not trained by their parents to behave with more maturity, they will pout and throw
tantrums whenever they do not get what they desire.

To summarize, childlike behavior is trusting and joyful and excited. But childish behavior is self-centered
and rude. As with so many aspects of Christianity, the key here is the focus of our will. Are we focused on
serving God and our fellow human beings? Then we are being childlike. Are we focused on serving
ourselves? Then we are childish.

It’s usually quite easy to determine whether someone is being childlike or childish. If they are childlike,
they are joyful and happy (and fun to be with). If they are childish, they are frustrated and unhappy (and
other people flee from their presence at quickly as possible).
So let’s do what St. Paul said and “put aside childish things.” At the same time, let’s do what Jesus said
and “become like children.”