Faith Like a Child
When we became children of God, Jesus instructs us to return to the innocence of our youth. He wants us to trust Him with total abandonment and joy, free from the worries and concerns that can so easily dominate our lives (especially since most of what we worry about are things we cannot change). Being free from concerns is not the same as abandoning responsibilities. It is learning to tell the difference so we can give our concerns to the Lord. When we were young, we jumped out of the bed each day with excitement, anticipating what each day would bring. We did not worry about food, clothing, or shelter. We felt secure, protected, and loved by our parents, and nothing gave us reason for concern.
If we, as adults, would go to Jesus with this type of childlike faith, we would experience that same sense of joy and freedom. -Nancy McGuirk, Rest Assured: Devotions for Souls in a Restless World
My coworkers and I often talk about how "adulting" is really hard and how we just don't want to or we feel like we just don't have enough energy to do it some days. Life takes a lot out of us when we feel like we bear the sole responsibility for taking care of ourselves.
We think we know better as adults than we did as children, but I think we overcomplicate things and lose sight of some simpler truths we took for granted when we were younger. As we get older, we take on more responsibility, and somewhere along the line, we mistakenly come to believe that we have to carry the weight of the entire world on our shoulders.
But if we would only acknowledge that we have a Heavenly Father who longs for us to trust Him with faith like a child's-- deep, unwavering, unbelievably simple, and unquestioned-- we would find new freedom from our burdens.
Kids don't worry when they're in the car with Mom and Dad; they know they'll reach their destination. They don't know the way there, but they know that their parents do, and that's enough for them. They don't worry about what lies ahead; they know Mom and Dad are in control.
Childlike faith, at its core, is humble, honest faith. It is living your life in the security of God's promises, taking Him at His word, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that you will be taken care of.
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said:“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. -Matthew 18:2-3
We don't need to work or worry ourselves to death trying to keep all of our ducks in a row. Our endless striving will never give us the peace we're seeking, and it never ends. It leaves us wondering what we're forgetting, questioning what more needs to be done, comparing ourselves to others, and placing unnecessary and impossible burdens on our backs.
Our Heavenly Father knows what's best for us, and He gives us the ability to cast our burdens upon Him and trust that He will take care of us. Today I invite you to lay down your worries and trust in God with childlike faith, letting go of our endless striving and instead rest in the peace that's found in knowing we don't have to have it all under control because He does.