Faith Like a Child

“Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” —Matthew 18:3

Several years ago, I was talking with a mom who had the weight of the world on her shoulders. During our conversation, her four- year-old daughter came up and nestled next to her mother’s side, oblivious to anything going on in that adult world. It was such a sweet picture of trust, rest, and contentment.

Later I said to the mother, “That’s what God wants you to be—nestled up, trusting, resting. He wants you to have a simple, childlike faith.”

Yet that’s so different from the way we often handle situations. We want to control, to figure everything out, to manipulate and strive.

Becoming like “a weaned child” (Psalm 131:2) means quieting my heart, being still in my Father’s presence, trusting His wisdom and love. It’s not the kind of trust that pretends problems don’t exist. But it’s trusting that our Father understands what we don’t, that He can see what we can’t see, and that He can manage what we can’t manage. It’s trusting that He is in complete control.