Faith Like a Child

Since last week, I have felt a need to come back and blog.  Our poor little blog has been frozen for years, and it is time that changes.  Over the past week I have thought about what I would like this blog to be. How should I go about this?  The answer I came up with is not very clear, but I know that if you read the blog you will probably see a variety of posts about our family, devotions, recipes, school stuff, and well just about anything else I can think of. So here we go!!!!

Last week was my favorite week of the year...Vacation Bible School!  It is a week filled with friends, kids, worship, Bible stories, memory verses, and a whole lot of fun.  For the second year in a row I have been blessed to work with the 3 year old class.  How much fun they are, they soak everything up around them and long to learn about the Lord.  This was also the first year my own child was able to be with the "big" kids, which was "awwwwwwesome" as he would say.  Every morning I was in love with how he would sing the songs and do hand motions in the back of the car as we drove to church.  To watch him worship and not worry about what anyone else was thinking was pure joy.  All week I thought about how wonderful it was for all of the kids to worship and praise our Lord and not be ashamed. 5 exciting days were followed by a huge celebration Sunday morning during our church service.  Those that could came back to sing during both services and there were others who shared their obedience to God through baptism.  It was awesome to see all the excitement coming from the kids and you could feel a different tone in church that day.  There is something about the innocence of a child and how they look at the things of this world and most importantly the wonders of God. 

As those thoughts had been running through my head all week about challenging myself to be more like a child in my faith, Pastor Chuck preached on that very thing using Matthew 19:13-15 The Little Children and Jesus. 

Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

I sat and pondered that verse and what was being said along with all I had thought about this past week.  My own child flashed through my thoughts and how innocent he is as a 4 year old little boy and the way he looks at everything around him, wanting to learn new things and always know what is going on.  He is a sponge soaking up EVERYTHING around him.  This little boy forgets nothing!!!  At what point in our lives do we lose that innocence ourselves?  When do we grow up and worry about anything and everything?  Based on verse 14 God desires us to have faith like a child and to marvel in his wonders and scripture. 

God was not finished with me yet because this discussion continued into our small group Bible study last night as well.  What did Matthew 19:14 mean to us?  A few of our group members vocalized some of the same points discussed through the message at church as well as a few new examples based on our own children and their view of life.  There is so much to learn from the actions of my 4 year old little boy, and how he looks at things around him.  His unconditional love, the way he learns new things and wants to share it with everyone he sees, the thoughtfulness he shows to those around him, and many other characteristics that make him who he is. 

My prayer is that I will be able to stop and spend more time in God's word.  Be the woman he created me to be, not only for myself, but for my family and those I come in contact with everyday.  I long to have the faith of a child again.  As someone in our group put it last night, we should long to be extraordinary, not just ordinary.