A Childlike Faith

Today I ministered to a young mom friend of mine. I do home daycare and I invited her to come and bring her two and half year old over for a play date with the little guy that I care for. While the children were happily playing, Noah's mom and I partook in an online Christian W omen's conference via my laptop. Various topics were being discussed pertaining to marriage and it was a very timely discussion, due to the fact that we all struggle with one issue or another in this area.

Men and marriage it seems, can be such a big mystery, and there are so many how to books on that subject, yet the only true "MANual" we have to understand men and ourselves is the one designed by God himself. Well, the conference was humming along and the children were engrossed in v-tech toys and a video. All was going rather well. My friend, who is expecting number two baby was enjoying a much needed respite from caring for her little guy all day by herself. I, being home most of the time during the day was enjoying the company that she provided and we shared some of our challenges together.

The children were served their chicken nugget lunch at a little play table set up family room style, while my friend and I sat at the kitchen table eating quiche and fresh fruit, and sharing in the miracle of christian marital information via cyberspace. Moms with toe headed babies sat on laps all over the country soaking up on the good, Godly advice from these wonderful ladies. All was bliss then lunch was over and the children returned to the play room for a short period of time. Suddenly the relaxing atmosphere was shattered as toys began banging into walls, balls were being rolled down the hall and then the Lego tower tirades began.

My friend looked at me and I her and we both exited the kitchen to see what the two year old terrors were up to. We entered the playroom to find them amidst a scatter of big Lego's, cars and trucks, puzzles and books and the two were fighting over a red Barbie SUV. Each boy was trying with all his might to take the Lego crammed SUV away from the other and cram more Legos into the truck. When they could not settle the dispute, the Lego towers that were so carefully placed on the floor as mile markers began to feel the fury of little feet. First one boy would scream and kick a tower and yell NO! MINE! and then the other boy would throw a Lego tower and scream MINE TRUCK!

Lovingly, my friend and I attempted to split the boys up and help them to clean up the playroom. The whole incident reminded me how much we are in need of a savior. Even these two lovely little children, with all the adults in their lives, need someone to help to mold and shepherd their hearts. In the bible, Jesus speaks of being childlike [Mark 10 :13-16]. This happens to be one of my favorite visual scenes in Jesus' short, earthly, ministry.

Parents were coming to Jesus bringing him their little children to be blessed and touched by him. The disciples knowing that Jesus had a long day, wanted to give him some much needed rest. Despite his fatigue, Jesus, was readily available to the little ones created by him. We too must be like those little children with a childlike faith. Too often, our thoughts of the miraculous are marred by the world's perspective of how we think things should be in life.

We want to be our own savior and figure everything out, or worse yet, wrestle with the Lord about what we do not understand. God's word admonishes us to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding". "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." [Proverbs 3:5]. The only thing to remember when we get to the bottom of this life with all of it's struggles and triumphs, is whether or not we know Jesus and are truly a child of God. With a childlike faith, armed with this knowledge, we can go through life's journeys, walking hand in hand with the one who created the universe and ourselves.