The mouth of a three, soon-to-be, four-year old is a wondrous thing. As they are exposed to the unfolding world around them, they are constantly processing, digesting new vocabulary. At times, it’s quite scary; you never know what they might say. My son, Matthew, is no different.
In this case, however, his words moved me. They pierced through my exterior and touched the very deepest part of my being. I couldn’t believe they came out of his mouth; innocence and purity reflected hope that has long since escaped my world-worn, experience-battered faith. As they poured from his lips, I felt a lump in my throat and my eyes began to swell ahead of the tears.
Jr. and Sr.
We have a good friend from college who was born deaf. Despite his physical limitations and numerous challenges, he is highly functional, earning his undergraduate in Engineering and Master in Business Administration.
Last week, he was passing through town and needed a place to crash. Naturally, we offered him our guest room at the Ham House. I warned him before he came about the early mornings and general ‘shenanihams’ – our family’s reference to our general craziness. His response made me laugh, “I’m deaf, remember.”
In preparation for his stay, I had to tell the boys that he wouldn’t be able to hear them. They generally interact with anyone, MJ especially, and I envisioned them constantly talking to him, yet wondering, Why is he ignoring me?
I didn’t think much of our conversation after that and we had a great night with old friends.
Later that evening, I was putting MJ to bed, engaging our traditional routine: teeth brushing, fairytale and superhero stories, and prayers. It was during our prayer time when MJ’s words overtook me.
In his sweet, sleepy voice he said, “Dear God, thank you for Mr. Brent and please help him hear again.”
I was shocked, absolutely stunned. Not only had MJ remembered, he had compassion on our friend.
Most importantly, his words represented the faith of a child.
In moments like this, God shows Himself to me. He steps through the veil of my busy existence and places His hand firmly on my heart and says, “This is how I want you to believe.”
It wrecks me.
This type of childlike faith often escapes me. My mind is filled with continuous stories of unhealed sickness and death which leave me to wonder; lead me to wander.
However, when I catch a passing glimpse of the Father, I’m reminded that He is simply concerned with my willingness to Trust.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18:17
“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:4
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” Mark 10:14
Over and over, Jesus tells us to approach Him with this child-like trust. He knows that is the type of humility needed to remove our hardened facade. He knows that this is where we begin to see.
At heart, we are all little children. But, in some ways, the years and the experiences have stripped us of our true self.
Let us return to our childlike faith, answering the call of the Christ.
Yes, Jesus loves the little children.
MH
QUESTION: What is one step you can take in childlike faith today? What is something we can pray for together, in childlike faith?
I learned yesterday that a family at our church has just received the news that their six-year old son has a brain tumor. The child's name is Lathyn and their site is here. I'm not asking you to give anything monetarily unless you are moved to, but I would ask you to pray. Additionally, I would like for you to leave something in the comments below that we can collectively pray for. Thank you for stopping by this edition of Seeking Saturday. To receive these emails, please be sure to sign up for our mailing list.
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