Faith Like a Child

"Truly I say to you unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children (trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving), you can never enter the kingdom of heaven (at all)." - Matthew 18:3

As a child care teacher for 17 years, I see the faith of children daily. They are set on accomplishing and doing things that scare me at times. And let me tell you something...

The faith of a child is out of this world.

It is not based upon anything but a belief that says, "The person I see has the ability to do whatever I ask and will take care of every situation that I face." This type of faith is what the body of Christ needs today.

The only way to achieve this is to change.

When I began my journey with God, I thought I knew what faith was. I came to Him as a wounded adult who had just returned home like the prodigal son. I was out in the world doing my own thing and when I came to God, I tried to bring that same knowledge with me.

Maintaining the same thoughts/actions and trying to serve God would not work. I had to come to Him as a child. This would mean I would have to start fresh, a new “birth” of sorts.

Starting over is never easy. I grew up in a home with parents that brought me to church weekly. I did not have a relationship with God through Christ.

I knew religion.

Religion taught me to ask, believe, and you shall receive. It made me think that I could come to God in whatever state I was in and receive the things that my heart desired.

That was NOT the whole truth. There was so much more I had to learn.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." - John 3:3

Even though I was born again, I had to be born of the spirit and truth this time. My flesh could not enter into the kingdom of God...

and I had no clue what that meant.

I knew about going to church but I didn’t know about going to God with all sincerity and with all my heart. I knew that he would supply all of my needs but I did not know it would require me to follow His plan for my life.

So many things about God, I needed to learn. Where should I begin?

The world taught me that I was the teacher and the adult in charge. My life was in my hands and I could make it whatever I wanted it to be. I had the right to do and say whatever I wanted.

Instead of depending on God’s word, I was depending upon my own words and following my own path. I could not let myself down, right? I can trust myself to come through for myself because I believe I am all I have.

Beyonce even coined the phrase “me, myself, and I is all I got until the end" - this became my anthem!

But it had to go.

Because it would not allow me to receive anything from my Father.

The starting point of faith is at the bottom. It is a firm foundation built upon trust in the one who created the entire universe and all that is in it! When you receive Christ as your personal savior, you come to agree, to start over.

I had to be willing to let go of what I thought about faith to receive the truth about my Father in heaven. It was not easy and there were a lot of tears, because how could I not have known these things?

Everything I would do from this point on would be by faith.

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." - Hebrews 11:2

I knew the scripture Hebrews 11:1 but I did not understand how to apply faith in my life. Faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses).

Divinely guaranteed.

Simply put, it is trusting in God.

I now must stop trusting in myself, and put all my trust in God. How could I possibly put my trust in someone who I have never seen? and do it without fail or question?

Each year I receive a new set of children to teach. The fact that they don’t know me means they are starting over in a process once again.

They must learn to trust me like they have trusted their teachers and parents in the past.

They must change their focus from the past to the present. At this age, it is building a firm foundation that they can stand on in the years to come. Those who do not understand or take change easily, cry a lot because they are not ready for the transition.

They fight it because it is different and they must yield to something greater than themselves. They were comfortable depending on those who came before me, but trusting me would take some time.

This is how we approach God when he says we must change. We start making excuses that when we trusted someone before they did not deliver, so why would you be any different?

Just like the children in my classroom, showing up every day will give you an opportunity to learn that He will not fail you or leave you hanging. He is faithful to perform and you can let go because he has you in the palm of his hand.

Once children learn to trust you, they don’t mind listening to your direction. Once we learn to trust God, we will begin to follow his direction.

You must humble yourself and become a student.

After being in the world and depending on yourself or others, it’s crucial that we find ourselves back at the feet of Jesus.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-6

We must acknowledge that we need Him even though we said we didn’t.

You must be able to ask for help even when you said you didn’t need it.

Unless you become teachable, you will not develop the faith it takes to produce a life devoted to God. You are no longer an adult, able to make your own decisions. You now trust your Father with that responsibility.

When the children approach me with their problems or desires, they come with expectations of me to come through for them. They keep asking until they receive it and at times, it can be a bit much.

In those moments, I realize that they trust me with their whole hearts. We must be willing to trust God with everything in us and lean not upon our own understanding.

Faith requires all of you and all of your hope to be in one place and that place is in God.

Starting over may seem like an impossible task, but with God all things are possible.

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." - Philippians 4:12-13