Childlike Faith: Returning to God’s Loving Embrace

Matthew 19:14 (NIV)

¹⁴ Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Why Jesus Loves the Childlike Heart

There is something about little children that Jesus loves. The kingdom of Heaven belongs to them. They do not have to seek it. They do not have to pursue it. It is already theirs.

What Happens as We Grow Older?

Something happens as we get older. We lose the childlike qualities that Jesus loves, and at the same time, we lose the kingdom of Heaven.

As children, we are innocent. We have not yet encountered the horrors of life that wear down our hope and destroy our ability to trust. We are born instinctually to trust those around us. We are not born without trust.

Before we can think cognitively, our dependence is absolute. We need others to survive. We naturally cry out for help. Our mothers will set us at their breasts. Our fathers let us lie on their chests. We hear their heartbeats and we rest in their nearness.

Learning to Trust God Again

As life unfolds, and inevitably, hurt and pain occur, we become distrustful and self-protective. We guard ourselves against the letdown and disappointment of people not attending to our needs.

We also become more self-sufficient and take pride in doing things independently. One from pain and the other from nature, but both of these movements within us turn us into adults. We struggle to trust God, to lean on Him, to rest in His nearness.

The Path Back to Childlike Faith

Relying Fully on the Father’s Care

Infants and children have their needs met quickly by the adults around them, at least in healthy situations. We must be loved first, but then, to experience the fullness of God, we must learn to love others.

Grasping the concept that it is better to love than to be loved, that it is better to give than to receive, is an essential part of our spiritual formation. This is a difficult transition that can only occur when we trust that we are loved by others, more importantly, by God.

Loving More Than Being Loved

We must return to our childlike trust, certain that God will take care of our needs and bless our desires, enabling us to love others.

Like an infant to their father, we must be able to rest on the chest of our Heavenly Father, knowing He will care for us no matter what comes. Only then can we find the strength to love others.

We must realize He will feed our bodies, our finances, our hearts as surely as an infant trusts their mother’s milk. When we cry out, we cry out to Him, not to people, not to things, not to pleasures or earthly escapes.

When we learn to live as adults with childlike trust in our Heavenly Father, then the kingdom of Heaven will be ours again.

A Prayer for Childlike Trust

Lord, teach me to rest in Your embrace and to cry out only to You in my suffering, and let Your love sustain me so I can pursue the higher aim of loving more than being loved, and giving more than receiving. Give me childlike faith. Amen.

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