Childlike Faith
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-4, ESV)
I was on a walk with Finnian (my 21 month old) and as we were on the sidewalk he wanted to walk on the curb that separates the sidewalk from the road. You might have heard that kids his age don’t have the greatest of balance and I can confirm those reports. So he would reach up to grab my hand to keep steady as he walked on the curb.
But the thing is, he didn’t even look at me. He just stuck his hand up in the air and went along the curb. He was confident that I would help him stay balanced by taking his hand.
It struck me the third or fourth time he did this that he had immense faith that I would help him to not fall. And then God reminded me that this is how I’m supposed to be with him. Jesus says that I need to become like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven. What does that mean?
I should stick out my hand and ask for help more often. But I don’t. During everyday life I try to go it on my own. It doesn’t even occur to me to pray while I’m figuring out some way to make something animate just right or parse a feed. But why not? Honestly, I don’t know. But I want to.
How do I do this? I come before God and ask him to help me remember him throughout the day.
Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, HCSB)
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, ESV)
Amen!
At a previous job I used to keep a post-it note on my monitor that just said “Pray”. Maybe I should bring that back and put it on the monitors I use on a day-to-day basis. That constant reminder that God is close and I’m beckoned to draw near to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) could be the kickstart I need.
And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-4, ESV)
I was on a walk with Finnian (my 21 month old) and as we were on the sidewalk he wanted to walk on the curb that separates the sidewalk from the road. You might have heard that kids his age don’t have the greatest of balance and I can confirm those reports. So he would reach up to grab my hand to keep steady as he walked on the curb.
But the thing is, he didn’t even look at me. He just stuck his hand up in the air and went along the curb. He was confident that I would help him stay balanced by taking his hand.
It struck me the third or fourth time he did this that he had immense faith that I would help him to not fall. And then God reminded me that this is how I’m supposed to be with him. Jesus says that I need to become like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven. What does that mean?
I should stick out my hand and ask for help more often. But I don’t. During everyday life I try to go it on my own. It doesn’t even occur to me to pray while I’m figuring out some way to make something animate just right or parse a feed. But why not? Honestly, I don’t know. But I want to.
How do I do this? I come before God and ask him to help me remember him throughout the day.
Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, HCSB)
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, ESV)
Amen!
At a previous job I used to keep a post-it note on my monitor that just said “Pray”. Maybe I should bring that back and put it on the monitors I use on a day-to-day basis. That constant reminder that God is close and I’m beckoned to draw near to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) could be the kickstart I need.