A Childlike Faith

I don't know about you, but I love kids. I love the fact that their minds soak up information like a sponge and that they'll tell you what they have on their mind and you know that what they say is exactly what they feel. I love how we often don't think they could ever teach us something about life, yet they amaze us more every day and we learn things from them we'd never thought of before.

I'm the second oldest out of five children in my family so I've had plenty of time in my life to watch and learn. For example, there was this one Saturday afternoon when my parents weren't going to be able to make it to church and therefore my younger brothers didn't have anyone to take them. When I was getting ready for church, I saw my younger brother Carson, thirteen, playing a video game. I figured since he didn't have a ride to church I'd take him with me so he wouldn't have to miss and then he could tag along with me afterwards. When I asked him if he wanted to go, he hopped up quickly and began to get ready.

Without knowing it, my youngest brother Pierce, who's seven, overheard me talk about going to church and he came running towards me proclaiming how much he wanted to go. I was amazed at how excited he was about going to church, but because I usually go out with my friends after church, I didn't think I could take him to church and then bring him along with me to hang out with my friends. So I told him that I couldn't take him, but maybe next time.

Let's just say that his response to this was not a pretty one. He began to cry because he was going to have to miss church. By the time Carson and I got into my car, Pierce's face was far past red and he was standing by the glass door looking at us with that sad puppy dog face that all kids know too well. Immediately, God laid Mark 10:14b-15 on my heart, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you, anyone who doesn't have their kind of faith will never get into the Kingdom of God."

I looked at Carson, then at my keys, back at Carson, and once again at my keys. After contemplating what I was going to do, I finally looked at Carson, grabbed my keys, and then told him that I would be right back. I ran through the front door of my house and hollered to Pierce to come see me.

Within seconds, Pierce was at the front door waiting for me to tell him what I had hollered to him for. I looked at him, smiled, and then told him that I wanted to take him to church with me. He jumped for joy when he found out he was going to be able to go to church and gave me a hug.

Pierce's attitude towards going to church and his faith in God are examples of what Jesus was trying to make clear to the disciples in Mark 10:13-16. Pierce felt so strongly about going to church that it made him cry knowing he wasn't going to be able to go; he held nothing back.

Do you have a childlike faith? Or is your faith easily swayed? Are you sincerely excited about your relationship with Christ? Jesus makes it clear that it is very important to Him that our faith is as full as that of children's. When your faith begins to stagger, remind yourself of the children that came running to Jesus. Strengthen your walk with Christ by giving Him all of your faith. Run to Him in a full sprint and He will bless you (Mark 10:16).