The Faith of a Child

Matt. 18:2-5 (Good News Translation)

² So Jesus called a child to come and stand in front of them, ³ and said, “I assure you that unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.⁴ The greatest in the Kingdom of heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child. ⁵ And whoever welcomes in my name one such child as this, welcomes me.

I truly believe that we are blessed in this world with children to understand pure faith.  God is our Father.  He is a great father:  he provides, protects, vindicates, comforts, heals, restores, strengthens, encourages and most importantly loves us.

I know in this life we go through and experience things that have us question that love and grace of God (wars, murders, robberies, unexplainable pain) and we ask, What kind of God….  The same kind of God that does all listed above.  It is the result of man’s flesh that generally invokes the unexplainable and the pains of man, not counting death.  We must all experience that part of life.

In order to remain on topic to this scripture I will elaborate that with my exposure to children, it is not until I had my own and raised them in “this world” that I understood what faith is. 

I have a nine month old that is working on walking.  I’ve watched him as well as his sisters go from a small dependent ball of love and softness to a rugged, wobbly stepper.  I watch him daily as he overcomes obstacles.  He started to steady himself standing after his fourth time up.  He went from a wide cowboy stance to a more dignified confidence where he now claps, bounces, and handles toys and a cup, it’s not even been a full week.  He has been a calculated thinker.  When he wants something, he figures out how to get it.  When he was younger, it was me.  He would whine or cry his way from arm to lap until he got to me.  Now he will slide a box a wipes, a pillow, his box of diapers, or anything that will add height to step to the base of my couch to get what he wants from on high.  His first sign of this genius was when he began crawling.  I always watched him look around the room.  He’s always been interested in what his father uses most, his PlayStation remote or a cord that he would leave hanging negligently.  At four months my son would use his toys as a diversion to scoot across the carpet to his desired item and get it.

I enjoy his confidence in leaning off the ledge of the couch, knowing someone is going to catch me or hold me well enough to let me “look” but not fall.  Like all children, he tests his limits, but this is not the complete spectrum of my revelation.

I have four children total.  I’ve had the experience of being unemployed with zero income for each of my children.  In each of the occurrences I’ve had the pleasure of having my faith tested.  I’m sure you laugh at me calling it a pleasure if you’ve ever experienced such a thing.  But it wasn’t truly until my fourth child that I got it.

Philippians 4:19 AMP

And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

I’ve had to repeat this scripture to myself constantly during those times.  I’ve also made a banner of the following:

Psalms 23:1 AMP

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.

Matthew 6:25-34 NLT

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? ²⁶ Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? ²⁷ Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

²⁸ “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, ²⁹ yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. ³⁰ And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God^[e] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Jeremiah 29:11 NLT

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

There are others, the Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Heb. 11:6) Yes, ask me for anything in my name and I will do it! (Jo. 14:14). 

I used the index and concordance of my bible like an investigator in order to encourage myself daily.  It was difficult seeing mismatched items in my kitchen, knowing in hours I’d have mouths to feed.  But they were fed, they didn’t miss a meal, they didn’t go to bed hungry, dirty, sick (except for a common cold) nor did they go to bed too cold or too hot.  Our electricity stayed on, we kept gas in the car, even if it was a cough of petroleum, we got where we needed.  We had what we needed.  The moment I looked at the needs being met, yes, four kids later, is the moment God started to bless me with what I wanted.

I have in my drawer as a reminder of God’s faithfulness, two or three onesies from my youngest daughter.  My husband and I call them her “Children of Israel” onesies because although they are from 0-3 months, they fit her until she was one.  My daughter was almost nine pounds when born, my husband is six foot three and I’m five foot nine, imagine her size, she’s six in a size 8/10 now.  It may be an inside chuckle, but it is a reminder that I see every day as I rummage for underclothes that God will provide for me as he provided for the Children of Israel.

The greatest reminder of God’s faithfulness to my faith, as small as it may be is that my children went into the same bare refrigerator and expected to eat three good meals a day.  They never asked, mom what are we going to eat?  They never said mom “we need”.  They just knew at a certain time of day that an aroma would fill my house and within minutes, they would sit down to a hot meal that would fill their bellies for the night and often times, we had enough to share and plenty more for leftovers.  I don’t ask how it was done, I just knew God said he would feed me.  When rent approached I remembered that God said he would provide me shelter.  As the children grew, I knew he promised us clothing. 

When their birthdays approached, I knew God would bless me to be able to bless them with something, no matter how small or “not enough” it seemed to me, it was great for them and it was usually what they needed and a blessing of what they “wanted”.  God honored my children in their faith.

Please remember that we all can look at a difficult situation and feel a cringe of pain in our hearts as parents, we’re adults.  We live in a world where we have to “show and prove” because of relationships with people.  We put limits on God because of people overpromising and under delivering.  God will over deliver on a promise.  He never does anything “overabove” but bless.  He truly wants his blessings to chase you down and overtake you.  That will only happen when you let your faith see a miracle in your refrigerator, you may “want” steak but you “need” food, be satisfied with the potatoes and sausage you have, it will stretch to feed your family if you add the two eggs you have in the back and the perhaps the tortillas you keep in the cabinet.  God will also send people to bless you.  Don’t let your pride block you from your breakthrough.

I pray that you look with the eyes and the hearts of your children, watch as they wobble on their new feet and think of how you now can run and climb with little to no aide.  Look at how they scribble lines on paper to how you can form neat and intricate loops and curls on paper to form words of love and hope.  Pay attention to their wish list and hear the trust in their words as they dream of dolls and games that you will find a way to get them.  God doesn’t have to find a way, he has it already. 

I pray that you remember that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  Meaning, it is there, what you need is there.  With the faith the size of mustard seed you can move mountains, that same seed can open doors, can cancel debt, can heal a body, can create a job, can bring forth a child (I’m looking at mine now), can mend a relationship and heal a broken heart. 

I encourage you to speak the word of the Lord over you and trust it, don’t talk about what you see, but talk about what you want to see and don’t let anyone steer you away from that.  Line your mouth up with your heart, line your heart up with your mind, line your mind up with your eyes which should be in the word of God, because His word is a lamp to your feet and when you pray the word of God, God will deliver his word.  In the interim of saying what you believe God will do for you, praise him for it.  I mean praise him.  Find a song that brings you joy and sing it until you can’t anymore, sing it until you believe what you sing and don’t be shy about letting your children see you praise God.  Because this is the time to teach them, children NEVER care who knows they are in trouble or need help.  They never hide their joy when they get what they want or when they conquer a giant in their life.  And they have the stubborn mentality to ask for something until they get it!  They even have the audacity to tell everyone who will or has ears about it all the same.

Our test and levels of faith are the platform for their success; please do not keep them out of what you are going through.  Be honest of your times of being down, but look in their eyes.  Because in those eyes, they have the determination to try until they get it and you have the same ability in you.  Your reading this has proved it.

I pray you are blessed.

Thank you for reading.