Like Alfred E. Neuman, little Maclane was thinking, "What, me worry?" Daddy had him firmly by the hand. |
Recently we spent
time in the Florida panhandle at the beach – at least until torrential rains
arrived, ending our idyllic hours in the sand and sending us home to equally
rainy Chattanooga. During our time at Seagrove Beach, I enjoyed observing our
two-year-old grandson, Maclane, who was also there with his mom and dad.
Despite the
crashing of the waves and the tug of the surf with its ebbing and flowing,
little Mac was undaunted. He had not a care in the world. Why? Because either
his mom or dad – and sometimes both – held him by the hand, protecting him from
the current as well as the possibility of losing his balance and falling into
the water.
It occurred to me
that Mac never seemed worried even once about whether his parents would let go
of him as they ventured a bit deeper into the water. Not a single time did his
face show any fear that Daddy might release him into the sea when it was well
over his head.
Children are born with implicit faith in the loving, protective grasp of a parent. |
Yes, Mac was
wearing “floaties” for extra protection, but he had absolute, unwavering faith
that Mommy and Daddy were there to protect him and ward off any danger as they
played together in the waves.
We’ve all observed
similar things at the local swimming pool: A toddler standing at pool’s edge,
being urged by Dad or Mom to jump into arms extended to catch them.
Children seem to be born with built-in faith, never doubting their parents will
feed them, care for them, protect them from the dangers that lurk all around.
Perhaps that’s why
Jesus often used children as examples of the faith and trust He expects of His
followers. For instance, the Lord said, “I
tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will
never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this
child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).
A while later, when
Jesus’ disciples tried to keep children away from Him, thinking they were a
bother, He responded, “Let the little
children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs
to such as these” (Matthew 19:4).
Again referring to
the simple faith they exhibited, Jesus commented, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God
like a child will never enter it” (Luke 18:17).
Sadly, many
children experience having their faith betrayed by parents in many ways.
Some of those parents, out of their own brokenness, have been uncaring to their
children, selfish and even cruel. Tragically, faith in human parents is not
always rewarded.
But faith in our
Heavenly Father, I’ve always seen
rewarded. “Never will I leave you; never
will I forsake you,” God promises in Hebrews 13:5. In the Old Testament,
the psalmist writes, “I was young
and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their
children begging bread” (Psalm 37:25).
There are countless
other biblical passages that express the same truth – that God is constant and
unfailing, always worthy of our faith and trust. As Hebrews 10:23 admonishes, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we
profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
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