Do You Have Faith Like a Child?

The older I get, the harder it is to remember what it was like to be a kid.  I remember moments from my childhood, but what seems to leave our memories as we age is what it was to like have the “mindset” of a child.  What do kids think about?  How do they approach each new day?  Most kids in this country get out of bed without worries about what they’ll eat or where they’ll live.  They don’t seem to be overly concerned about what they’ll wear – they just put on whatever is close and start to live the new day, anticipating only good things!  They run and jump and laugh and enjoy life because they aren’t burdened about things over which they have no control.  Though I’m not to my point yet, I do want to remind us all of what Jesus said:

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² ...For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.   Matthew 6:31-33

The point I DO want to make is that children just live life.  They accept that someone else is in charge – that someone else is responsible for them – and they dive into life with the gusto and freedom God intended.  They trust that whatever issues arise will be handled by someone who loves them.  The hard questions that children shouldn’t need to answer are resolved by someone that knows more than they do.  Concerns about health, money, and the future rarely enter their minds.  They just live life knowing that whatever comes up, someone with the resources to handle it will be there to protect them from facing challenges they have no power to resolve.  It is especially sad when children don’t feel that protection, but that’s for another day.

Why is it that adults, at some point in their lives, seem to conclude that THEY are in charge – that THEY are responsible for how life will unfold?  Do you have power over your circumstances or the future?  Can you determine how life will treat you?  Sure, it’s important to accept personal responsibility for your health and provision.  Eating right and going to work are presupposed.  But you have no control over the outside influences on your life.  Hurricanes, cancer, and drunk drivers are beyond your scope.  Sometimes bad stuff happens in life that you can't prevent.  

But God is there.  Just like our parents did when we were small, He handles the big stuff – the things that are outside our control.  Jesus even used a child to make that point to His disciples:

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.   Matthew 18:2-4

The “gospel” isn’t just about forgiveness for sin and salvation through Jesus.  The Good News is also about being a part of God’s family in the Kingdom.  And Jesus’ death for us is what makes that possible.  Jesus used the term “Kingdom of Heaven” thirty times as recorded in the book of Matthew.  He kept repeating it because it was important for His followers to get the whole picture.  Our faith doesn’t just punch our ticket for heaven, it changes how we live NOW!  All the preaching Jesus did in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) was so people would understand what living in the kingdom looked like. 

Kingdom living is about faith and humility and doing good to others and living in a way that brings glory to God.  Ask yourself this: “Has anyone honored God this week because my life prompted them to do so?”  Yet that’s what kingdom living is supposed to do.  Kingdom life is characterized by trust in the provision of God and sharing with others to advance the kingdom.  Kingdom living isn’t characterized by fear and anxiety, but by trust and generosity.  Jesus wanted to remind His disciples that children get it.  The gentle, loving, trusting preschooler is a good example for you to follow.  When we get older, we get tough and cynical and afraid.  And God just gently responds, “Don’t worry my child.  I’ve got this.”  Why not drive on over to the park and go down the slide, or swing a bit, just to remember what it was like.  I guarantee you’ll smile – and I think God will, too.

Jacob