Jesus yearns for children to be blessed by giving their hearts to Him in their early years. The more we persevere in faith as children, the greater advantage we will have as adults.

Sometimes when we’re children, we are visited by some older relatives or family friends who don’t see us very often. They say to us, “Look at you! It’s amazing how you’ve grown so much!” You probably did not notice anything different since they had seen you last. You felt the same all along. You’re still you and everything seems the same. But every single day, God’s plan is to help you get bigger and stronger until finally you are full grown.

Have you ever heard the song, I’m Pressing on the Upward Way? It’s a beautiful hymn that talks about how we can grow—not in our body, but in our mind and spirit. The writer of the hymn was happy to notice how God works in us so that we can build a character and attitude like that of Jesus.

As we study and learn about Jesus, we think about how He did things and how He treated others. He was hardworking, kind, and patient, even when He was only a little child.

When He came to earth as the Son of man, Jesus did not choose to dwell in a fancy palace or even a rich neighborhood. He came to live among the poor in Nazareth. This shows how much He understands and cares about poor people just as much as rich ones. He can sympathize with every one of us and help us in whatever we need.

We read in the Bible, “The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him. . . . And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:40, 52).

Jesus had a bright, active mind, yet He was not proud. His ways were simple and childlike, and He grew up just as all children grow. But He was always sweet-tempered and unselfish, and He loved to serve others. He always spoke the truth and was pleasant and cheerful.

Whenever the children around Him were doing something wrong or mischievous, Jesus did not join in their deeds.

If He saw someone without food, Jesus would quietly place His own meal in their hands. Or if He saw a little bird that was hurt, He would tenderly care for it. Every living creature was happier when Jesus was around!

The mother of Jesus taught Him from the Holy Scriptures, and He learned to read and study them for Himself. He also learned science by studying the plants, trees, and animals and observing the sun, moon, and stars in the sky. He thoughtfully watched all these things to try to learn lessons from creation and understand the things of nature. He later used this knowledge when telling stories to teach people about how the kingdom of God works. His goal was always to help them know more about how to be saved for eternity.

The Bible says, “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right” (Proverbs 20:11). So, even when you are a child, you can already be learning from God about how to grow happily by having Jesus as your Guide and strength in life. That way you can grow to be like Him—the very best way to be!—Barbara Montrose.