The Faith of a Child

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.”

As the old children’s hymn declares, “How do I know? The Bible tells me so.”

Faith of a Child

At a small group meeting, the leader read an intriguing quote by Francois Fenelon, a French theologian, poet and writer of the late 17^th and early 18^th centuries. In his book, Let Go, Fenelon observes: “Faith seeks God alone.”

As the discussion continued, I pondered that statement. I’ve read many definitions of faith, but Fenelon’s seemed particularly accurate.

With two infant grandsons in our family, I’ve watched them exhibit a definitive kind of faith. Their faith, however, is centered on parents, particularly their moms who are their primary caregivers.

In Matthew 18:3, Jesus stated, “…unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” At first glance that declaration doesn’t seem particularly “sophisticated,” that is unless you’ve watch babies and little kids for a while. Then it makes sense.

These little boys, Maclane and Bryce, have simple faith. They don’t spend time trying to figure out whether mom and dad have enough money to buy their formula, diapers and seasonal clothing. They don’t worry about whether they will respond to their cries for help – which happens a lot! They simply trust, looking to their parents for love and care, knowing they will do whatever is necessary, whenever it’s necessary.

As we “mature” we make things more complicated. If there is a God, we reason, how can we be certain He’ll come through when needed? How can He possibly resolve a problem as complex as the one we’re facing? With all that’s going on around the world, how can God even keep track of what’s happening in my life? And without clear answers, we sometimes look elsewhere.

Our questions are endless. But that’s probably why Jesus was so emphatic about having the faith of a child. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” For the little fellows in our family, their faith and trust in mom and dad have substance; even though they don’t know what their parents will do, they feel the "evidence" that they’ll be fed and cleaned up, put to bed and picked up and hugged when they need it. They’re not troubled by doubt. They don't seek alternatives.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a spiritual faith like that?