What is Child-Like Faith?

When I sat down to write this article, I had no idea what exactly it meant  to have child-like faith, not truly.  What does that kind of faith mean?  What does it look like? I needed time to reflect, time to ask myself questions about what it means in my relationship with God.

What are some qualities children have?

Children are persistent, unrelenting, maybe even demanding, they need our attention.  Children are creative, inventive, very easily inspired, resourceful, cheerful, exuberant, bubbly.  Children are radiant.  They are trusting and sincere, unguarded, their thoughts and feelings and motives are easily perceived–carefree, happy-go-lucky.

Matthew 19:13-15 has a lot going on in these three verses.  People were bringing their children to be blessed.  They had seen what Jesus was doing.  They heard Him speak.  Countless saw first hand the miracles He performed.  His inner circle tried to keep Him from being bothered by the little ones that followed.  But Jesus saw them and had love for them.  It says, “Let the children come to me.  Don’t stop them!  For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

Does your faith have these kind of qualities?

Life and responsibilities can bog us down.  It is hard to stay in touch with innocence, hard to stay bubbly.  Some days are easier than others, but lets face it–we forget so easy what it was like to be a kid.  There is an essence to childhood we can learn from.  We can go to Our Father the way a child goes to their earthly father.  We can trust Him.  We can lean into Him.  Just like a little kid can’t possibly understand the full implications of an adult world, we adults cannot possibly understand all that which God is.  But we can be radiant, and we can be exuberant when we put our trust in God and in the mystery of faith.

Which child-like characteristics are you intentional about?