Childlike Faith - Part 2

DAILY BYTE

So what exactly did Jesus mean when he spoke of “receiving the kingdom of God like a little child”? In helping us to understand this, perhaps it would prove helpful to first understand what Jesus was NOT saying.

Let’s face it: childhood can be a time of glorious self-indulgence. It is a time when the world seemingly revolves around you, when grown-ups rush to meet your needs at the slightest cry. Childhood can be a time of foot-stomping, ground-pounding, high-pitched screaming tantrums. Over the last few months, since my daughter was born, childish tantrums have become part of the daily reality of our house. However they are soon to stop, because my wife has told me that I am really not setting a good example for my daughter!

Let’s be clear that Jesus was NOT talking about childish and inappropriate behaviour here. The author, Philip Yancey, when writing on these verses, helpfully differentiates between childish faith and childlike faith. One example of childish faith might be a faith that is continually weak and unhealthily dependant on God, a faith that never grows us beyond ourselves. As Eugene Peterson says: “Christian faith is not neurotic dependency but childlike trust.” Of course there are times in our lives when we rely upon God to help us through difficult moments, but we are not meant to be eternally naïve spiritual infants who have no identity apart from a feeling of being comforted, protected, and catered to.

My daughter is quite youngand as her parents, we make all her life decisions. What she will eat, what she will wear, when she will sleep. If we are still making all those decisions for her at age 19, if she is still unhealthily dependant on us, then quite frankly we have failed her as parents. The goal of parenthood is to produce healthy adults, not eternally dependant children. In the same way, the Bible makes it clear that God wants us to grow spiritually from infants to adults. A spiritual adult will have a healthy, vibrant, mature and yet childlike trust in God and will not continually live with a fearfully neurotic and insecure clinging to God. That is the difference between childish faith and childlike faith.

Finally, nor does having childlike faith mean that we have to suspend all our adult questions and struggles. Anyone who has spent time with a toddler will tell you that questions form a huge part of their make-up! A wise person once said: “The opposite of faith is not doubt, but certainty.” Doubt is not necessarily an obstacle to faith, but potentially can be a seed of faith, a means of growth. Asking questions and struggling through issues, can set us on the road to deeper faith. What we learn from children however, is that they ask their questions without cynicism. Their questions come out of a genuine desire to learn and grow. We need to learn that despite any fears or questions we may have, we can still love and trust our sometimes mysterious God. It is ok to have questions, or to struggle with doubts, just so long as you don’t let them stop you from having a relationship with God. A relationship with God, like any relationship, can only be plunged into without knowing exactly where it may take you.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Holy and mysterious God, we pray that you would help us to learn the difference between childish and childlike faith. Pray grow us into spiritually mature adults who would always retain an incredible trust in you as our Father. Help us to work through any doubts and questions we may have in way that grows us closer to you. Amen.

FOCUS VERSE

Psalm 131 (NIV)

My heart is not proud, O LORD, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. But I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD both now and forevermore.