I grew up a very happy kid with the world at my fingertips. Personally, I feel that if someone got a hold of my families old video camera I would become famous. My friends and I truly believed we were the next big Hollywood directors. We would make these cheesy movies, show our parents, and then they would laugh at us. Needless to say, I threw that dream out the window a long time ago. There was also the time my dad built a tree house in the backyard and I decided to turn it into an animal clinic. Then I discovered how EVIL cats are (sorry, cat lovers but I will never understand you). So, I threw that dream out the window as well.
Now, as an adult (ish?), I look back and I’m kind of jealous of that little girl. In her mind, she could do anything. She didn’t care if the dream was completely irrational, and nothing was impossible. I’m jealous of that little girl because she didn’t know real pain yet. She didn’t realize that voices would soon enter her head telling her she wasn’t enough, or that someone else was a better fit for the job. As far as she knew, there was a big world and she wanted to do something important.
I often wish I could go back in time and give her some kind of warning that bad things would happen, but to hold onto those dreams anyways. But unfortunately, that’s not how life works.
One thing I do know is this: I still carry so many parts of that little girl within me. The parts of me that dream up crazy dreams that seem impossible. The parts of me that hope in the midst of pain…that’s when I see that little girl again. I believe this is the exact reason why Jesus said in Matthew 18:3 that unless we turn and have faith like a child we will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The faith of a child is a beautiful thing. They have no doubt that Santa Claus is real until someone tells them. They believe they can be whoever they want to be until someone tries to create a different path for them. Jesus is really great and loving and Heaven is filled with streets of gold until someone tries to tell them otherwise.
The more time I spend around children, the more I see what Jesus was talking about. The older we get, our hearts just harden. Divorce, death, heartbreak, loss...we start to lose hope. Our brains become filled with so much information and soon we don't even know what to believe anymore. We turn on the news to hear about another terrorist attack, another political argument, another tragedy, and suddenly every possible thing you wanted to do seems pointless in a world that’s falling apart.
But child-like faith says something different. Its tone is much more of, "I know the God I serve. He is much bigger than this world or anything that happens in it." Child-like faith doesn't let dreams diminish because of circumstance. It hopes, believes, and pursues. Not only does it instill us to find the greatness in ourselves, but it encourages us to find the good in others. This kind of faith sees the opportunity in the world instead of the mess. It believes that in the midst of chaos there is a beautiful story being written. Child-like faith chooses courage in the midst of fear. It's the kind of faith that will change the world. It's the faith that wins in God's eyes, and it’s the kind that has changed my life.
