Faith of a Child

I have never took much time to consider what goes on in the mind of a child, what a child is capable of, or what I could learn from a child (which might seem odd considering that I am going to teach children some day).  It just has never crossed my mind to go down to the level of a child and actually try to understand the thought process that he or she has.  And, even though we were all there at some point, we do not remember exactly what it was like to think like a child with innocence, sincerity, passion, imagination, and creativity. 

I received a little something that a child had written down, and it had a huge impact on the way that I thought.  I was in the midst of thinking through a lot of things and just diving into my relationship with Christ, and I guess to say the least, wasn't sure where to begin.  Then, I sat and read through the beautiful words that this child had written down and I realized that there was a beautify simplicity to the things that this child had to say.  She was innocently surrendering her life to her Heavenly Father.  Wholeheartedly giving all that a child has away to a God that she couldn't even see.  This beautiful simplicity that was demonstrated here brought tears to my eyes. 

How could I be so blind to the fact that serving my God isn't something that takes all the theology in the world.  It doesn't take looking a certain way, walking a certain way, or being a certain type of person.  It simply means giving everything that I am to Christ and living my life in a way that is pleasing and honoring to Him, and Him alone.  

We aren't going to be perfect at this whole Christianity thing.  Our relationship with God isn't always going to be exactly what we think it should be.  And, it is not always going to be easy to give everything that we are up for Christ, but that is what serving God wholeheartedly, with childlike faith, looks like. 

Open Hands

I tend to plan, and plan, and plan... and look at life in a way that I have everything under control.  The truth?  I don't have it all under control.  I have planned a life that I think I am going to live, but the truth is, that may not be the life that God has planned for me to live.  We face challenges all the time in life that are things that we do not expect to deal with.  We go through hurt and pain that we never wanted to experience.  But, it is all a part of the perfect plan that God has set out for us. 

I have been told several times over the past few months to be "open handed" about life, people, and situations that are going on around me.  To have a clenched fist is to be holding onto things that you are unwilling to give over to God, and this visual has really helped me to see what it looks like to surrender completely.  Personally, I am very bad at letting people and things go because I want to fix things, change things and make everything right.  But, in reality there is no way that I am going to be able to do that.

There are going to be times when we have to endure suffering, and when we will have to face trials, but when we face them with an open hand, and let God have control we will start to see the beautiful thing that He is doing through that trial.  I always have to remember that when I am in the situation I cannot see the bigger picture.  I don't know what this little part of my life looks like in the grand scheme of things.  All I can do is trust that God is doing a work in my life that is going to make me stronger in the end, and that whatever it is, it is going to be pleasing to Him.

                      "Sometimes you've got to put on your waders and walk through the mud."


So, it is inevitable that we are going to face problems, trials and hardships in our lives, but how we react and handle them is key.  Keep an open hand, don't clench your fist and hold onto little pieces of something... which is obviously easier said than done.. and let God have all of you.