Q: What did Jesus mean when He said we have to become like a little child if we’re going to follow Him? I’m a college professor and I don’t like to think that I have to commit intellectual suicide if I become a Christian. — W.W.

A: Some of the most brilliant men and women the world has ever known were also followers of Christ, and it would be wrong for you to think you’d be committing intellectual suicide if you gave your life to Him!

In fact, the opposite would be the case, because when we come to Christ, God calls us to love Him with our whole being — including our minds. Jesus summarized God’s will for us with these words: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” (Luke 10:27). All authentic truth comes from God, and all eternity won’t be enough for us to explore its full riches.

Jesus’ words about our need to become like little children are important, however. (You can find them in Mark 10:15.) One of the main reasons people reject Jesus is pride; they believe they don’t need Him and can make it through life on their own. But only when we renounce our pride and come to Him with the humility and trust of a child can we be saved.

Don’t let your pride, or anything else, keep you from Christ. Instead, humble yourself before Him, and trust your life completely to Him. Then commit all you are and all you have into His hands, for He alone is “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

Q: I grew up in a Christian home, but I’ve spent the last 10 years running from God. I thought I’d be happy, but I know now I’m on a dead-end road. I guess I’m reaping what I’ve sown. Maybe it’s too late. What do you think? — S.G.

A: The only sin God can’t forgive is the one we refuse to ask Him to forgive. God loves us, and no matter what we’ve done, He wants to forgive us and welcome us home. The Bible’s promise is true: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

What, after all, is your alternative? Right now, you’re on a dead-end road — and I’m thankful you realize it. But if God won’t forgive you, then you’re stuck on that road the rest of your life — and into eternity. But not one word in the Bible says God wants you to stay on that road! If He did, He wouldn’t have sent His Son into the world to die for your sins. But Christ did come, and He did die for you — and right now He stands ready to welcome you and forgive you.

Do you remember Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son? (You can read it in Luke 15:11-32.) Like you, that son turned against his family and against God, believing the devil’s lie that happiness could be found by living a life of sin and self indulgence. But in time, he realized he’d been a fool — and when he returned home, his father welcomed him and forgave him.

Don’t wait another minute to turn to Christ. You can’t change the past, but you can change the future. Christ can put your feet on a new path — beginning today.

Send your queries to “My Answer,” c/o Billy Graham, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C., 28201; call 1-(877) 2-GRAHAM, or visit www.billygraham.org.