Childlike Faith
“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.” Matthew 18:1-5
INSIGHT
As a new dad, I think our son Ivey Brooks is incredible in every way, but to say He would be the greatest in heaven is a little bold, even for me. I mean, the greatest implies that there is something they do better than anyone else, and children (as well as parents) are learning life by trial and error. However, I think our adult brains forget the power a childlike approach has in relationships.
The beauty of being a child is the trust they display in the one taking care of them. They do not worry about life’s necessities, having no clue or concern regarding what it looks like to pay a mortgage, have a car payment, buy groceries, and so many other things. When he’s a toddler, Ivey will not request the budget break down before getting his bowl out for ice cream; he will just ask for a scoop and know he will probably get it! Children possess an innate ability to trust their parents. Until Denise and I give him a reason to question our provision, he will live in a way where he trusts us first. When you consider kids spend most of their childhood with that perspective, it brings a little more clarity on why Jesus would call them the greatest in His Kingdom.
Imagine what it would look like to innately trust Jesus with your life, a seemingly impossible reality due to how the world works. We struggle to trust because it seems that just as we open up ourselves and trust people, they hurt us somehow. As we take hits to our capacity to trust, we move further away from being childlike. Jesus invites us back into that childlike trust with Him.
He is the only One who has kept ALL of His promises and never given us a reason not to trust Him. When we learn to trust Jesus, we step into the best version of life. Jesus invites us to trust lovingly, a trust that can still ask questions and struggle from time to time. Even with all of our questions and struggles, He comes through over and over again for us.
How do we get back to childlike faith? How do we live in a way that we believe our Heavenly Father is worth lovingly trusting? We do so not by sweeping changes but by trusting just a little more than yesterday. Every day we’re presented with new opportunities to trust Jesus with our lives. Complete trust will not happen overnight, but every day we take a step towards trusting Jesus, we find ourselves one step closer to Him with our whole heart. Soon we will find ourselves back to that childlike faith, trust, and wonder where we can depend on our Father because He has proven trustworthy.
REFLECTION
What is a step you can take every day to trust Jesus a little bit more?
PRAYER
Father, thank you for being constant and bringing me hope. You have shown time and time again that I can trust you fully. I pray You help me regain my childlike faith and trust in You. Help me to remember the faithfulness You have for Your children. Remind me that even when I doubt and struggle, I can still trust in You because You always come through. In Your name, Jesus. Amen.
Port City writer Davy Nance wrote today’s devotional.
