Jesus taught that unless we become like children we will have no hope of entering the kingdom of God. In his encounter with a young rich man who asks, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" we see why the helplessness of an infant is the necessary characteristic to which Jesus refers. The one thing people often lack is a deep sense of their need for God. And when we feel like we can get by without him, we will not desire him. But God does not give the kingdom to those who do not desire him or to those who feel like they can merit the kingdom with their inferior goodness.