A Child Like Faith

Today, in the mist of a horrible fight between me and my wife, my daughter (Bella) who is 6 years old said something that made me smile. 
Bella looks up at me and says "Why did mommy leave?" 
I say "she had to leave because she was angry and she needed to gather herself." 
Bella says "well all she needs is a little love and compassion from you daddy."
This is the statement that made me smile. 
In the fogginess of my anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness, I was blinded to the spirit of god. It took my little 6 year old to make me realize that this life is not about me.
At that point, as I looked into my little Bella's eyes, I wondered.  When did I lose my child like faith?
I was reading in my devotion tonight and this is what it said about child like faith. 
Childlike faith encourages humility and helps us realize who we are in Christ. Without humility, we cannot come to the Lord, because we will never admit our need, surrender our will, or be able to grow in faith. We will not be able to serve others because we will think they are unworthy, just as the people did toward that soldier’s servant in Matthew 8:5-13 "⁵ When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶ “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”⁷ Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” ⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. ¹¹ I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹² But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.


Faith is the foundation upon which we build our character; it supports the house where the Spirit can dwell and empower us. This is a fruit of the Spirit given to us as we grow and mature. It comes from being "conformed to the image of His Son." (Romans 8:29) Faith and our trust in Christ will be the quintessential aspects of applying obedience and growth in our maturity and character. We need to trust in Jesus, believe Him with the simple faith of a child, knowing He is so far above us that we will never understand Him – but we can trust Him.

You see, my little Bella still has that child like faith.  To her the world is full of surprises, full of things that she does not understand. She knows that she doesn't understand everything, so she is frequently lost in wonder.

How do this characteristic apply to the way we receive the kingdom?

We need to be overwhelmed with the wonder of His love and power. "He created this world around us! He can do anything! And He came for me! He loves me!"

So will you wonder as a child? Will you admit your sinfulness like a child? Will you trust like a child?

If we are struggling in our marriages, we need to have that faith of a child, a faith that believes that God really does work together all things – even our serious problems – for His glory and our good.
 
Thank you god for this day.  Even in the mist of my sinfulness, you are willing to teach me and lead me.  Thank you for never giving up on me and always being there for me.  Forgive me for how I sinned against my wife and children.  Please heal their hearts and take away their sorrows.  Only you can heal all wounds.  Only you can make a bad situation glorify your name.  In the name of Jesus Christ,  I love you.
Amen!!