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Childlike Faith


Childlike Faith


Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving] is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:4 AMP)

I have always heard the phrase "childlike faith" and I always thought I knew what it meant. Unbeknownst to her, this past Mother's Day my youngest niece who's four taught me a lesson on childlike faith. As I looked at her sad face as her family prepared to leave grandma's house to travel home, I told her how pretty she looked in her dress. She said I'm going to miss you, and fell in to my lap. We finished our hug and I buttoned up her sweater. I said to her "oh you got something on your sweater". Her response is one I will never forget. She looked me straight in my eye and said "its ok, my mommy will fix it".

Knowing the dedication that my sister has for her family was no surprise to me; yet when she said it, I was taken aback. Had I not personally seen my sister in action, the seriousness of her tone and straight face she gave me would've convinced me for sure. There was no look to anyone else, no questioning if she could get the stain out, not even the slightest hint of worry or concern.

Later it came to me that, her rest in the belief of her mother fixing the issue was a display childlike faith.  In Matthew 18:4 Jesus is telling the disciples that the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven are those who have the trusting faith in God that a child often has. The kind of faith in God where there is no second guessing, no wavering, no pondering and no sign of fear because I KNOW my Father in Heaven will fix it.

As small children we depend on our parents or other care givers and within that relationship a trust and bond like no other is formed. When we were hungry they fed us, cold they covered us, sick they nursed us back to health. Even when being disciplined young children still want their parents; they seek to be comforted even in that discipline. In the same way we often run to God when we suffer the consequences of our own sin. As we spend time seeking God there is a mixture of love, wanting to please Him as well as reverent fear, to change and follow His ways.

God has blessed me with GREAT parents; however I know they cannot fix everything. Some unfortunately have not had the opportunity to form that kind of bond with someone growing up. So the question “what do I do now and where does the person who's never felt the experience go?” may come to mind. We all should go to THE FATHER, our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Although the relationship with God is much deeper; if you have not experienced a loving bond with your parents or a primary caregiver it may be hard to imagine security and trust in Christ. The more we seek Him the stronger the bond and trust in Him becomes. We then begin to realize how trusting in God is greater than any human relationship we have, because He is all knowing and unchanging.

As I scan over a series of events in my life, I have to ask myself have I or do I display childlike faith in God? Even if I say I do, do my actions match my words? Am I humble, do I place all trust in Him and His ability to do all things, am I loving and am I forgiving? Do I run to Him even after I've been disciplined for things I knew I had no business in the midst of? Do I run to Him in all things, even with not knowing how when or where, but that He will fix it? Can others clearly define where I lead by example of my trust in God? ie. Am I being the gospel, rather than speaking it? It is often easy to examine others, but doing the hard work of examining ourselves is what truly pays off in our walk with Christ.

I now have an example to measure my own faith/trust in Christ against, through an everyday experience with my niece. As I have said previously on the blog, there is but ONE who has obtained perfection and that is Jesus Christ; however I am thankful for the lessons learned through inviting Him in to perfect my growth in and though Him.

 

Take Always:

  1. Begin to develop a childlike trust in Christ by seeking Him daily (Psalm 27:8; Deuteronomy 4:29)
  2. Remember the benefits of trusting God (Psalm 103:1- 22)
  3. Ask God to give you guidance in the answers to the hard questions about your level of faith in Him; and seek His answer.
  4. Be willing to allow Him to help you change the things that need to be changed.



As always thank you for stopping by the blog and I pray that you were blessed but what God has placed on my heart. Share the message as your heart leads you.



R.T. ~The light that shines through~


For daily inspiration follow me @RTTheLight

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© 2014, Robin I. Taylor. All rights reserved. Originally published at

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