Discovering A Childlike Faith

"I realized that my life was to be one of simple, childlike faith, and that my part was to trust, not to do. I was to trust in Him and He would work in me to do His good pleasure. From that time my life was different." ~ Charles Studd

Working in Children's Ministry has given me a front row seat when it comes to experiencing childlike faith. Teaching our 2 & 3 year old preschoolers, I am blessed to experience the simple, yet fearlessly faithful prayers of a child. I have a hundred cute and silly stories of what our youngest believers pray for, and honestly it is so hard to pick just one to share, but here it goes.

A few months ago, as class was coming to an end, I gathered the kids and asked each one what they would like to pray for. One little girl who's birthday was coming that next week boldly professed "I want to pray for a Barbie house with furniture! If I pray God will make sure I get it." I giggled at the thought of praying for a Barbie house, but as she sat next to me hands folded and eyes squeezed tightly together, I could see how deep her belief was that God would ensure that she got her Barbie house.

Now before I go any further, I do not want anyone to think that I am saying that God is like a fairy godmother and that whatever we wish for will appear. I want to focus on how deep the faith and belief that this little girl had that God would answer her prayers.

I have to admit that I wish I had the faith of a 4 year old. There are way to many times that I pray and I;

1) don't want to bother God with the little stuff, because He's too busy or I can handle it myself.

Or

2) I pray for the big bold things, but in the back of my mind I doubt that God can answer my prayers.

In Galatians 3:26 the Apostle Paul tells us that "we are all children of God, through faith in Jesus Christ." But this makes me ask the question "what does it mean to live as God's child?

We have each had different childhoods. Few of us have had the ideal picture-perfect childhoods that are seen on T.V.. Many of us have experienced hardships, divorces and loses that have resulted in us having to grow up too fast, mature too early and our ability to be a "child" is foreign to us.

For others our childhoods were filled with painful experiences, abuse or neglect and events that have left us doing everything in our power to forget and run away from our childhoods.

If you have experienced any of these things, when you hear "childlike faith" it is either difficult to understand or something that you want to avoid all together. Think back to when you were a child, or if you are a parent think about your own children...As a child we are completely at the will of the adults around us. We have to trust them to make the decision that affect our lives, and really we don't have much say in what happens. But on the flip side of the coin, children have a God-given devotion and love for their parents. Even children who have been abused or mistreated, still desperately love their parents and they long for that love to be returned.

But as we become adults, and we take on the responsibilities of this life we forget how to be childlike. We struggle to trust with our whole hearts, to find comfort in the arms of our loving Father, and to share all that we are with Him. We often feel like "childlike" means "childish" and we fail to understand that to be childlike means to trust our Heavenly Father the same way that a child trusts their own parent.

You can learn a lot of things about childlike faith if you just spend a day with a preschooler. Over the past few years of teaching in our 2 & 3 year olds I have built some strong relationships with the kids and they can't wait to tell me all about their week as soon as they come through the classroom door. Their joy and excitement to share their stories and events of their week have taught me a lot about my own relationship with God.

God is our Heavenly Father! He wants to hear all about our day! Just as a child is filled with excitement to share their stories, we should be the same way with God. In Philippians 4:4 it says "Always be full of joy in the Lord, and again I say rejoice!" Do you rejoice in the Lord? Are you excited and eager to share your day with Him?

I have also learned a lot about comfort from our 2 & 3 year olds. Toddlers have reckless energy. They run and play and throw caution to the wind, often ignoring the warnings of those caring for them. But if they trip and fall they instantly seek comfort in the arms of someone they trust. As I was preparing this post I thought about how reckless I can be at times in my own life. When life is going good and there are no dangers in sight, I often throw caution to the wind myself and I forget to heed the warnings that God has given me. But as soon as I mess up, I fall and it feels like the world is crumbling around me, I run to God for comfort crying my eyes out asking Him to make it all better.

God wants us to come to Him in the moments that we need comfort. But if you are seeking a deeper more connected, SUPERADDED life with God your Father; then you have to share the good things too. Share your day, the little things that you feel like you can do yourself. Share the joys and the sorrows, and share them like you can't wait to tell Him all about it.

As we seek to discover our childlike faith choose to focus on these things:

1) Childlike faith asks honest questions: Kids say the craziest things, but they are always curious and always seeking knowledge. If you have spent more then 20 minutes with a kid, then you have experienced the big "WHY?" question at least half a dozen times. So just like a child, ask God the honest questions of your heart.

2) Childlike faith asks without hesitation: Kids don't worry if they are asking a dumb question. They just ask it! Don't worry about what others think or what God is going to think. If you have the question, He already knows. So just ask!

3) Childlike faith is venerable and expectant: Kids think adults know everything. They ask questions because they don't know the answer, but they know the adult does. When we question or ask God for something, we have to have the faith of a child and know that He has the answers we are looking for. It's okay to be venerable and expectant with God.

4) Childlike faith trusts: Kids rarely know what is best for them, but they trust that their parents do. Just like a child we have to trust in God's plan for our lives. I don't know about you, but I usually make the wrong choices when I depend on my own understanding instead of God's.

5). Childlike faith find satisfaction: Even when kids get in trouble, they find comfort in knowing that their parent cares for them and loves them. Even when things don't go the way that we think they should go, we can find comfort and satisfaction in just being in the presence of God and in His love for us.

Don't let your own pride and self-importance stand in the way of humbling yourself before God. When Jesus said "let the little children come to me" he wasn't just talking about the little ones, we are all God's children and He so desperately wants to be our Father.

Prayer:

Father God,

Help us to learn how to be your children. God help us to be venerable with You, to share our days, our ups & downs, our struggles and our tears with You. God help us to recklessly trust in you and in your design for our lives. Help us to have the courage to embrace a childlike faith in you. God you are so good to us. Thank you for allowing us to be venerable and to share all that we are with you. Amen.