Having Childlike Faith

Do you remember going to church with your parents as a child? Do you remember Sunday School? Do you remember saying prayers every night before bed? I remember singing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” I recollect praying, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.” I recall memorizing, “John 3:16 says that God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten son that whoever believes in Him shall never die but have eternal life.”

I also remember that moment when it all clicked for the first time when I realized how great our God is. I understood why we were praying, singing and worshipping Jesus. As a child, I never questioned it and just obeyed. I never doubted and always had wide eyes for Christ. I was eager for Sunday mornings and attempted to read my Bible starting in the book of Genesis. I wasn’t afraid of telling others how much I loved God and Easter was my favorite holiday.

I love the relationship that I have with Jesus now, but when I ask myself what I can do to make it better, I often look back to my childhood and that heart I had for Jesus. There’s always something to make that relationship shine even brighter, and that is why I am encouraging you to think back and have childlike faith.

This weekend, my cousin Anders was baptized and I was chosen to be one of the Godparents. The preacher said that babies show God’s purest love as they are so innocent. We, as Godparents, were instructed to always show Anders the right way and to help him as he begins his walk with Jesus. The more I thought about it, the more I got excited. It reminded me of that childlike faith that I had and wanted Anders to experience.

Even though as we grow older and more responsibilities start to occur, we must remember how excited we were for Jesus when we were children. We must humble ourselves to get into the Kingdom of Heaven. We must be honest and trusting. We must let Him control our lives and accept that. Think back to Sunday School and Bible Camp and how you felt when you truly experienced Jesus for the first time and take that attitude into this week.

“For sure I tell you, unless you have a change of heart and become like a little child, you will not get into the holy nation of heaven. Whoever is without pride as this little child is the greatest in the holy nation of heaven.” –Matthew 18:3-4