That Childlike Faith


 As I sit here I am gazing out of the dining room window at the shrubs that I planted to conceal our central heating unit.  These shrubs were on the property when we purchased it and I have transplanted them to their current location. I do not know what kind of shrub they are, but I do know they grow fast! Last year I trimmed them to a level of four feet above the ground. In one year these plants have grown new shoots that are over twice that height.

 I am trying to imagine what my life would be like if my faith increased two-fold in one year. What could I see God do through me? How great of a witness could I be to the lost souls in this world?

 "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:3 NIV)  I believe Jesus is trying to teach us about faith in this scripture. Isn't it amazing how children believe they can do anything? Many a child has believed that they could fly. Some even believe they are invisible.

 Our children respond in full faith to what we as parents tell them until their little hearts are broken by the disappointment of our actions or broken promises.

 Children are not born with fear. Fear is an emotion that is taught or learned. They are born with the faith that nothing will harm them. Touching something hot quickly teaches the fear of getting burned.

 God has never and will never disappoint us. God has always and will always keep His promises.

 Peter, in Matthew 14:28-31, walked on water. When doubt and fear came to him, his faith wavered and he began to sink. Jesus took Peter by the hand and helped him to safety in the boat. This same Peter, in Matthew 26:69-75, denies ever knowing Jesus. In Acts 5:15 we are told that Peter's faith was so powerful that the sick were laid along the streets with the hope that Peter's shadow might fall upon them as he walked by.

 Peter's faith increased. The doubt and fear that caused Peter to sink when he was in the presence of Jesus on the lake was replaced by a strong faith that allowed him to be used to heal the sick and cause the lame to walk. I believe Peter's adult attitudes of personal strength, self reliance, assuredness and self determination were replaced by a childlike faith that all things were possible through his God and Savior. 

 I don't think any of us start or attempt anything without the faith that we can complete the task and see it through to the end. Sadly, many of us have too many unfinished projects that aren't completed. We allow those adult attitudes and outside influences to squelch our childlike faith. We start to sink and need that Guiding Hand to help us to safety. My personal desire is that I can once again find my childhood faith so that God can use me in mighty ways for His glory.

 It is dark now and I can no longer see the shrubs, yet I know they are there just a few feet away.  One of these nice days I will cut them off again and wait to see how much they grow in the coming year.

Tony Kelley