Childlike Faith…from my house to yours!

 

In Matthew 18:3 in the English Standard Version we read:  “At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Children are humble beings for the most part.  There comes a point where they begin to understand that life is a competition, but until then, they can be persuaded to share their toys, to “pretend” with their friends, to believe in what adults cannot. 

I’ve been blessed with healthy, wonderful, active grandchildren and I’ve found myself watching them a lot recently, trying to understand what it is about children that Jesus saw…and why we were instructed to “become like children” if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Here are some of the lessons I’ve been learning.

In a child’s mind, the impossible is possible…just like Jesus said in Mark 9:23, “….if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth”.  I’ve watched Holden pick up an extension cord…and it’s suddenly a fireman’s hose.  He believes it!!!  He races to the toy box and throws on his fireman’s hat…and then quickly moves to the fireplace (an electric fireplace, mind you) and makes noisy-watery-hose noises as he puts out the fire!  He really believes he’s the one responsible for putting out the fire…even if grandpa’s sitting behind him lowering the flame with the remote control.  He tells me, “Hot!”  I agree.  I ask, “Did you put the fire out?”  He proudly nods.  For those brief few minutes he’s been a real fireman with a real fire to deal with.  That’s what a child does.  HE BELIEVES!  What fun he has while he believes.  And what joy I get watching his serious face, his quick actions, and the pride he takes in a job well done.  Guess what I believe.  I believe it’s pretend.  BUT…HE BELIEVES IT’S REAL.

Roman picks up a small choo-choo train and informs me, “My train!”  He drives it up my arm, making train-whistle sounds and chugging sounds.  He slides the train down my leg on to the rug…and across the room he goes on his train adventure.  I always wonder what he’s thinking as he plays.  He seems so intent…I know something’s happening with his imagination.  He’s very serious about his playing.  I think God wants us to be as serious about the things that matter to us too.

Orlando is a wonderful impersonator of animals of all kinds.  He doesn’t “pretend” to be a dog.  In his mind, he IS a dog.  He pants, he barks, he leaps and bounds.  He chases the cat around the house (yes, the cat is confused by the barking coming from the little boy…the cat does not understand “pretend”).  Orlando will bark his way out of the room, only to return holding his ears out wide and making monkey sounds.  He ooh-oohs and ahh-ahhs around the room, leaping from couch to ottoman…and then walking at a funny angle on all fours across the room.  If you call him “Orlando”, he will quickly correct you.  “I not Orlando…I monkey!”  His belief is his confirmation that what he says is true.  This is faith of a child…he acts on what he says he believes!

Miss Shannon shows incredible faith in the adults in her little life.  She trusts us implicitly to meet her needs.  You see, she can’t change her own diaper.  She can’t fill her bottle.  She can’t prepare nutritious food for herself.  But she never worries about any of those things.  She knows she will be taken care of.  God has promised to help us change to become what He wants us to become.  He’s provided all we need to put food and drink on the table.  He’s given us His Word on which to feast.  Very few babies turn down food they like…just wave a French fry in front of Shannon.  Do you love God’s Word?  Do you choose to feast on it?  Do you worry about things over which you have no control.

Some adults I have known didn’t believe Jesus meant what he said literally when he said we had to be like children to enter the Kingdom of heaven.  But I disagree with them.  Jesus looked at the children and knew how their minds work.  They’ve not made enough mistakes in their young lives to be jaded.  Children believe until adults help them grow out of it…I’m not sure that’s a great thing we do for them.

Santa Claus was very real in our house this year.  The two oldest grandchildren “got it”.  Holden checked out every chimney he saw as a potential entrance for Santa.  We taped a vivid conversation with him about Santa when we were at the park earlier this year.  He picked up a stick…which became a cell phone in his hands…with appropriate clicks while opening and closing his “phone”.  He talked to Santa at the North Pole and informed me that Santa was taking a nap.  When he got to visit Santa…he was convinced.  I know there are many who believe “deceiving” children with fairy tales, Santa and Easter Bunny stories and the like is hurting the children.  But I am now convinced that helping children “believe” is an integral part of childhood.

Childhood faith and belief is important.  Children talk to someone who isn’t there (in our minds).  They believe in what they cannot see (in our minds).  Does anyone see, like me, a relationship practice that will become important as they learn to relate to God?  They’re going to talk to someone they can’t see or hear…but He’s there!  They’re going to believe in something that can’t be “proved” in man’s sight…but He’s real.  They’re going to become intimate with their Father by relating to Him, talking to Him, listening to Him…and believing in His Word.

Yep…I’m glad I have the kids here to teach me about childlike faith.  I’m glad I get to see this world through their eyes because it sure doesn’t have much to offer in my sight.  Through their eyes I see things I’d miss in my busy adult world:  the spider on the ceiling…the ant crossing the path…the squirrels and birds frolicking in the backyard…the cat’s paw sliding under the door to play with them…that funny noise that we can never figure out but I would never have noticed without them. 

Best of all, they’ve taught me what it feels like to be loved … just plain loved … with no expectations.  The sweetest sound I’ve ever heard is the first time they’ve each said without prompting, “I love you, Geegee” or “I love you, gammy.”  My heart just about swells out of my chest.  And I have to imagine that God’s heart does the same thing the first time He hears those words from us.  The choice to love freely is an amazing gift…no wonder God gave it to us.  The opportunity to be loved freely is also an amazing gift…one that I’m learning more about every day with these special little folks in my life.

My wish for you as I close this blog…may you one day know the love of a child.  May you enter their world, through their imagination, into their play…and understand the kind of faith God wants us to have.  And may you enter the kingdom of heaven because you had the faith of a child!!