Child-like Faith
It’s amazing that kids will believe almost anything you tell them. And I mean you could outright lie to them and they would believe. Actually, I’m pretty convinced that most parents do this on a daily basis…but I digress.
The faith that children have in their adult caretakers is astounding. This is easily proven when a child reminds you of a promise that you made several years prior, which you have no recollection of because you made the promise to get the child to do something. And it’s amazing that children always find the must inopportune time to bring up these promises.
I think this speaks very loudly to the kind of faith God wants us to have with him. A faith that simply believes that he will do what he promises. A faith that never forgets. A faith that is pure and simple.
Many of us fondly remember what it was like to be a kid and wish we could go back there. None of the responsibility and all of the fun! But we never remember the time-outs, the “go clean your room”, and the “no, you can’t have a cookie before dinner.” I think it’s because they remind us that we still have to do those things…well, except the last one. And yes mom, I still eat cookies before dinner!
We wish desperately to have the carefree attitude of a kid, but completely forgetting that it had it’s downsides. But the amazing thing with God is that this carefree attitude is still available to Christians. I truly believe that Christians who have a child-like faith live a carefree life simply because it would be a natural product of that faith.
Think about how often you worry about something or wondering what will happen. So many times in our adult life, we are encouraged to trust God and to live the life of faith unleashed but don’t because we simply cannot see past our circumstances. More often than not, it is our own view of God that hinders our relationship with him. If we simply trusted God to love us, take care of us, knows what’s best for us — much like we did when we were kids — I think we would find ourselves in complete joy.
Yet, perhaps somewhat ironically, it is our childhood that inhibits this faith. Many times our parents made promises that they couldn’t — or wouldn’t — keep. Our teachers treated us unfairly. The principal didn’t believe our story. Today, many of us unfairly tribute these same characteristics to God.
Perhaps this is the best place to start. Looking back on your life, seeing the places where the adults in your life failed, are you expecting that same result from God? Is that what keeps you from having a child-like faith in him?
I agree that many times I allow my experiences of the world to color my expectations of God. This is especially true if I just react on instinct and don’t take the time to pray through things. But I also find that when a situation seems completely overwhelming or I have no idea what to do, then the childlike faith is my first reaction and I simply pray that God’s will be done. I guess that’s probably why I get “thrown in the deep end” from time to time!