God blessed me with a beautiful picture of childlike faith yesterday.
It was at the end of the church service while the music was being played that I looked over at the most precious young girl. Her mother had her in sitting in her lap and the little girl was looking into the eyes of her mom with such love and trust that it blew me away. Though her lips didn't speak it, that's what she said with her eyes.
What moved me so much was that this little girl has an illness that has given her a limited capacity of understanding and a complete and total reliance on her caregiver. Her parents' lives are built around caring for this little girl and making sure that the days that she has on this earth are filled with as much love, comfort and joy as they can give her.
In watching her look at her mom, I saw a glimpse of what it means to trust fully and the love that comes from it. Her every need must be met through the hands of another. She may not understand the complexities of life, but she understands its simplicity. Is not simplicity the most difficult of all to grasp sometimes?
At least it is for me. I want to understand why things happen. I want God to fill me in. But sometimes my mind just can't handle it. In fact, most of the time. So He asks that I just trust. Have a childlike faith. He says, "Hey, remember? I've got this!"
In a world that esteems the self-made man, how do I shake off the calloused layers of self-reliance and independence that have formed over the years? I don't know and I guess that's the point. It requires undressing the mind and humbling myself completely before Him. Thank you, Lord for the reminder!
"Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew 18:5