Child-like Faith

As a parent, I can recall the number of times I had my son stand on a table and jump gleefully into my arms whenever I said, with arms outstretched, "Jump." No reluctance, no fear, no questions asked, just a blind trust that I would be there to catch him. I’m sure quite a number of you can recall those times as well; times that provoke a smile as well as they should. As these memories flooded my mind, I was reminded of Matthew's narrative in which he tell us, "And Jesus called a little child unto [H]im, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (18:2-3, KJV).

It is interesting to observe how as we get older we tend to become jaded and cynical. For sure, some life experiences (hurts, disappointments, feelings of abandonment, etc.) have robbed us of our child-like innocence and we are not as quick to believe, we are not as quick to jump. We want guarantees, we want proof, and in the absence of either or both, we stay on our respective tables. Unfortunately, some of us bring this form of cynicism into our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Despite His many promises that He will be there, that He will take care of our needs, and despite His open arms of love, we are cynical, we do not really believe.

The problem of course is not that God cannot be trusted, but that in our dealings with Him we have lost the innocence of the child within. When He says "Jump" our initial reaction is that of uncertainty and mistrust. Will He catch us? Will He do the things He promised? In Numbers 23:19 we read, "God is not a man, that [H]e should lie; neither the son of man, that [H]e should repent: hath [H]e said, and shall [H]e not do it? or hath [H]e spoken, and shall [H]e not make it good?" and here is not only a reminder but a challenge also. The integrity of God is of such that He is incapable of lying; the evidence is there to support the fact that He is not only reliable but also dependable.

The Father's greatest delight is that we trust Him without reservations. As you go about your Christian walk, how is your faith in the Father? Is it child-like? Are you willing to "jump" into His arms just because He tells you to?