Recently a friend asked me to speak to our church’s youth group about my experience as a teenager. I started to look through old pictures and my journals, remembering me as a teen. Seeing the pictures and reading my own words in my teenager handwriting brought me back to the complicated girl trying to grow into a woman that I was twenty-some years ago. When I considered what to share, I knew it had to be more than just about me, it needed to have a take-away for the kids listening. Lately God has been speaking to me about the lies I’ve believed in my life. And reliving my teenage self revealed four of them that almost derailed what God wants to do in and through my life. Here are the four lies I found woven into my life.
I Am Alone
As a teenager I believed I was all alone in this world. I felt isolated because I was afraid if anyone really knew me, they wouldn’t like me. I carried shame from some things I did as a child which led to a profound lack of self-worth. My only real friend was my dog Cody. I worked with him and showed him in 4H from the time I was 10 until I was 16. He was an amazing listener, never judged me, and was always happy when I came home.
But as funny and sad as that is, I want to let you know today that we are not alone. There is One who understands us, because He created us. And because of His great love for us, He humbled himself to take on the form of a human to die for us. But not just to die. He came to conquer death so we could live.
Having a living, breathing relationship with the God of the Universe is more than good and bad and right and wrong. When we give our hearts to God, He makes us new. He gives us life that will go on forever, and He sets us on a path only we can walk, our divine destiny. And God will never leave you alone. Hebrews says:
You are not alone. And I want to tell you having even one person (or a dog) in the world who sees you can be enough. But don’t be satisfied with just being seen by another person. We all need friendships. Don’t waste years of your life being afraid of other people. You have to risk, put yourself out there, and be vulnerable with people in order to have deep connections and deep friendships. You may be rejected by some, but remember your identity is not dependent on what everyone thinks about you. Go back to God and ask Him to help you find the people you need. As a grown woman who can only now tell you I’ve found my people in this world, don’t waste years of your life hiding. You can’t live the life God intended for you without godly friends standing by your side, calling you out, and holding you up when you need it.
Nothing Will Ever Change
High school seemed to drag on forever for me. I hated it, well a lot of it. And I couldn’t imagine life beyond high school. I felt completely stuck. But I wasn’t stuck. And neither are you. If nothing else, time will carry you forward. You are not now who you will always be. You are not now where you will always be. Make decisions, deliberate choices to do new things, meet new people, go new places when possible. But don’t lose sight of what you already have. God is with you now. And He’s already in your tomorrow. In a world of constant change, He’s your constant. He has always been and always will be. Get to know Him so you can trust Him as you go. He has made you new. He is making you new.
I couldn’t have imagined the life I have now when I was a teenager. I know time sometimes feels like it moves very slowly. But I want to tell you that it moves faster and faster the older you get. So learn what you can and do what you can where you are now. Because you have no idea where God will take you tomorrow.
What I Do Doesn’t Matter
What you do now will affect your path for the rest of your life. When I was 16, I was recruited by a friend to go to downtown Grand Rapids with a man serving the city’s homeless population. As a sheltered, suburban teenager, it was eye-opening. It was like seeing the “other side” of life. It was faith in action, more than words, more than songs. That man was doing something that mattered. We walked all over the city, visiting with people under highway overpasses, in alleys, and all the dark, forgotten places in the city. After my mom found out where we went, I was forbidden from going again because it was too dangerous (She was probably right). But I couldn’t unsee the injustice and poverty. That one night shaped my compassion for the poor and those on the other side of society.
Partly as a result of that experience, when the opportunity came up to tutor kids in the Black Hills, I said yes. And that led to us moving to the Black Hills and serving there for nine years.
The decisions you make and the opportunities you say yes to now will shape you for the rest of your life. Don’t take it too seriously or brush it off as just something old people say. And don’t let anyone discredit you because of your age. You have the opportunity to get involved with meaningful and world-changing experiences right now. Think about what stirs your heart, what moves you, and find a way to get involved. You don’t have to wait for the perfect time. Because there will never be a perfect time. One of the earliest verses I ever memorized was Micah 6:8. It talks about what God desires from the work of our lives.
I Need to Know What Happens Next
I’m a planner. I’ve spent years of my life trying to plan it out . I’ve struggled with anxiety and panic attacks because I felt totally out of control. I’m going to drop this truth on you right now: Life is unpredictable. There will be victories and tragedies. The only constant is God. He will be with you through it all.
When I graduated from high school I had my whole life mapped out. I was going to get my Master’s Degree in physical therapy then go around the world with the Peace Corps, meet a handsome man somewhere out in the field and get married. One problem, I met the man I would marry on the first day of college. And he had no intention of joining the Peace Corps after college.
Turned out the joke was on him because as I said before, we ended up living in the Black Hills, which can be like another world at times.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care about tomorrow or make plans for your future. It just means we need to take into account the big God we serve and that He has the right to alter our plans. In James it says:
Make plans. But let God be the ultimate authority on where you go and what you do. When making decisions, you won’t always get it right. So when you fail, which you will, I hope you understand that God is strong enough to redeem your wrong turns. He will use them to teach you, to grow your faith in Him, and give you compassion for others who struggle in the same way. God’s plan, with all the up’s, down’s, and sideways is better, more meaningful, more transformative, more incredible than anything I could have planned out. Get to know Him. Knowing Him will help you make better decisions. Don’t be paralyzed by fear of the future. Some choices you make will be good and others will not. But don’t miss out on what He has for you because you’re scared or because you think you can do it better. Trust me, I know how that works out. Life is much better when you live within the will of God. And you can know His will by knowing Him. And if you let Him, all those life experiences – both good and bad – will transform you into the person He created you to be.
A Prayer for Us
My greatest prayer for all of us today is that we would come to know and love God, surrendering our lives to Him. Because He is who He says He is. He loves us all and can be trusted to take us where we’re supposed to go. My hope for you is that you go into the day knowing that you are not alone, that other people struggle too, and have made mistakes. But know this. God will be with you and will never leave you.
It’s been almost 20 years since I graduated from high school. I didn’t know all the twists and turns my life would take from then until now. Trust God to give you what you need for right now. Let Him guide you in His Truth and you’ll end up right where you’re supposed to be.
I know it’s cliche to say it, but I love fall. It’s my favorite season. The colors, the breezes, and the sun coming through the trees quiets my soul. It’s like creation exhales; the wind through the leaves a gentle breath of letting go. Staring out our back window, I watch as the leaves slowly drift toward the ground. Fall feels like rest to me, like the world is slowing down to slumber for a little while. Every year I try to get out and enjoy the season, going on long drives with my mom, hunting for pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, and picking apples at the orchard.
I soak it all in, seeing God in the sunshine peeking through the clouds, hear Him when the tree frogs sing to one another, and feel a sense of comfort looking up at the fall clouds like a blanket in the sky reminding me that He covers me in His love.
Life can get busy. It can be hard. And often it doesn’t look the way we think it should. We carry the stress of getting it done, fighting on, and changing our little part of the world, thinking it’s our job, our duty even, to always be moving forward.
As the seasons change, I feel like God is whispering to us in the gentle breeze through the leaves. He’s asking us to come rest in Him, to lean in close, allowing Him to embrace us. And in that place, He whispers His love and His provision, “Come and rest a while in my arms. Stop and let me hold you.”
Sometimes we just need to know we’re loved…no matter what; that God takes pleasure in us just because we are His. It takes the pressure to please, to change ourselves, and to do good in the world off our shoulders and places the load back where it belongs. He is the Creator of all things. He is all-knowing and all-seeing. He can handle it. We are invited to partner with Him but He is always leading the way, clearing the path, and moving the mountains in front of us. Change, movement, progress, breakthrough – they all only come through His power in His Name.
Take a deep breath and know He is there, close to you. Stop and notice all the good around you, even if you feel like there’s not much good in you. He wants us to take the time to sit in His Presence. He wants us to come close to Him, even if it means stopping all the other work that needs to be done.
‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary.Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.’”
Luke 10:38-42
No matter where we are or where we’re going, how much we’re doing or how much purpose and fulfillment we find in where we are now, God is with us. His love never changes and His hand is always upon us. He will never leave us and never stop loving us.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39
Draw us closer to You today, Lord. Let us rest in the assurance of Your love, Your provision, and Your direction for our lives. We surrender, knowing that You will not fail. We call out, “Abba, Papa” in the simplest language of love. We pause to breathe in Your Presence, here, in this moment. We thank you that you never change. We thank you for Your love and Your ultimate expression of that love, coming to earth to die for us so we may be made clean, made whole, and adopted into your family. Thank you that when we reach out our arms, You embrace us in Yours. Grant us peace as we draw near and rest in You. Amen.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
In the years I’ve been saved, I have fallen on my knees in failure more than once. There was a time when my circumstances overwhelmed me and I dropped to my knees pleading for God to find a way forward. There was a time when I realized I was holding back from God and I went to my knees and opened my hands, praying to completely surrender my heart and life. And I have found myself in a heap on the floor confessing I was at the end of myself and my human strength, praying for forgiveness for living life my way instead of His.
The Christian life isn’t a one-time confession and conversion. It starts there but that’s not the end. Living as a Christian in this world is a process, a journey, an adventure with an all-knowing, ever-present, never-let-go God.
When we fail, God doesn’t make us start over. He gives us a fresh start.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23
When we fail, He doesn’t push us away, He pulls us closer.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.”
1 John 4:18-19
When we come to Him with our sincere repentance, He wraps us in His arms and His love and sacrifice wash us clean again.
Being in right relationship doesn’t mean we can do whatever we want.
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”
Romans 6:1-2
Living in right relationship with God means trusting His Way is the only way. It’s confessing He is always right when we are often wrong.
He’s not a magic genie. He’s not a deity we have to somehow placate with our offerings and grovel at our failures. He’s a Father. His greatest desire is our heart. He wants relationship.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”
Ephesians 1:3-4
When we fall He lifts us up.
When we stray, He comes after us.
We cannot be separated from His love.
No matter how many times we give up on ourselves or give up on Him, He will never give up on us.
I’ve never met a woman who isn’t struggling with or who hasn’t struggled with her identity. As girls growing up, there are so many influences on our development. And when we grow into women, the pressure only intensifies. I arrived at womanhood struggling to push back the belief that I was totally flawed, a disappointment, and that I was beyond redemption.
As women, our worth is determined in many ways: We are our beauty or lack of it. We are our pant size, our height, our weight. We are the way we dress and the brand of our clothes, our shoes, and our handbags. We are our children’s behavior and our husband’s jobs. We are our marital status, our money, our work status – both in the home and everywhere else. We are our homes, our social media accounts, and our ability to complete Pinterest projects.
Women are told who we can and can’t be, what’s acceptable and what’s not. We are constantly bombarded by messages that we’re not doing it right and we’re certainly not enough.
The world around us is continuously assessing our worth. But the worst critic is the woman looking back at us in the mirror.
It’s toxic. And it’s not the truth.
All those obligations and expectations can leave us feeling insecure, inadequate, and unsuccessful.
But God has the final word on our identity. First, He tells us we are created in His image. In Genesis 1 we find the creation story, where God makes something out of nothing. And He calls it good. At the end of the chapter, He creates man and woman:
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Genesis 1:27
We are created in the image of the Almighty.
We are God’s children, chosen and loved.
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.”
Galatians 4:4-7
We are redeemed by the blood of Christ, making us worthy, clean, and holy.
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Hebrews 10:19-22
We are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from who every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith – that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Ephesians 3:14-19
And most of all, we are daughters of the Living God, with a glorious inheritance and access to all the riches of our Father.
“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19
When we turn to Jesus, we become more than women. We become daughters of the Most High King. And that is the greatest title we could ever have.
I want to challenge each of us to write down the verse that most speaks to you in building the foundation of your identity in Christ. Read it every day and let it sink in.
I’m a person who likes to get things done. I like to know where I’m going and what I need to do. I feel lost and anxious when I don’t have a clear path before me or a specific calling I can step into each day. Sometimes I get so caught up in the next step and trying to find out where God is going that I forget that my true purpose in life is to bring Him glory.
No matter where I am or how I feel. Whether I’m riding high or falling apart, God is still God. And He deserves to be praised.
“Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”
Psalm 145:3 NIV
When I pray and even when I praise, I often focus on what God can do. I list off all the ways I would love to see Him work both in my life and the lives of the people around me. But what He desires is for me to take the focus off what He’s doing or what He will do, and focus instead on who He is. He deserves our praise simply because He is God. He is the Creator. He is the everlasting God. The King of kings and Lord of lords.
But I struggle to find the words to praise Him. Sometimes they just sound hollow to me or like I’m copying someone else. I find when it’s hard to find words it’s always best to go to the Word. Since He allows us in the throne room, to stand in His very Presence (Hebrews 4:16), why not start by joining the chorus that stretches to infinity in both directions:
“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”
Revelation 4:8b
Sometimes I just whisper under my breath, “Holy, holy, holy,” repeating it over and over. I need to remind myself of who He is and who I am in Him.
I came across a quote years ago, and I can’t find it’s origin, but when I find myself tired from trying to cross everything off my endless to-do list, it comes back to mind:
“Don’t get so busy doing that you have no time for being.”
Life is busy. I’m frequently restless and searching for the next thing. I have work, family, friendship, and church responsibilities. As I accomplish one task, it seems to multiply into four more. But often all He wants from me is to be still and stop to recognize His greatness, His power, His worthiness.
He calls me to take the time I could be using to get things done and use it instead to glorify Him with my words, my songs, and my presence of mind. It’s hard to sit still. It’s hard to focus. But there is no One more worthy of our efforts than the God who created us, the God who saved us.
I like to put worship music on, and if I get that elusive moment alone, I close my eyes, raise my hands, and sing praises to my Lord and King.
Rest in His Presence for a moment. Stand in awe of His power and fall down with gratitude for the mercy and grace extended at the cross. Sing! Raise your hands. Give Him the glory He deserves. I’ll join you. The Church joins you. We sing His praises together in a holy chorus of delivered people, created for fellowship with the Creator. He is good.
“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever, Amen.”
One of the biggest barriers in my relationship with God is trusting His way is better than mine. I have and still struggle with the fear that if I completely surrender, if I let Him take over and act according to His ways and His plans instead of my own, God will somehow hurt me. I struggle to trust that God is good and He can be trusted with the one thing I hold closest – my life.
Back in 2008, my husband Chad and I bought our first house in the Black Hills neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan. We’d been volunteering with a tutoring ministry for over a year and we fell in love with the neighborhood and the kids who lived there.
The first day we walked through our house there was a stream running through our basement.
It was just the beginning of more than two years of our house falling apart and us putting it back together. We spent tens of thousands of dollars repairing almost every square inch of that house. If there was something that could go wrong, it did. We had water leaks, wood rot, termites, electrical problems, and on and on and on.
Though I’m smiling in this picture, I can assure you painting ceilings is one of my least favorite things.
My fears seemed to be realized. We were honoring God by moving there, by serving there, and He gave us endless problems, draining our bank account and our energy. I was angry, anxious, depressed, overwhelmed, and lonely. I blamed God for our situation. I began to believe He couldn’t be trusted, that He was an angry and vindictive God.
Problem was, everything that was happening to us was so far out of my control that I couldn’t do anything about it. I couldn’t fix where we were physically and I couldn’t fix myself emotionally or spiritually. I came undone one night, weeping and falling into a heap on the floor. I’d found the end of myself and it’s an experience I’ll never forget. Because although that night I told God I didn’t believe in Him, I realize now that He’s never been closer to me than in the moment of my greatest pain and failure.
Only when I finally gave in because I had nothing left could I see God’s faithfulness. Only living through an experience where I reached the end of my human capacity could I learn about trusting God.
There is a poem in the book of Isaiah that speaks to God’s trustworthiness:
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
Isaiah 26:3-4
He is an everlasting rock. He does not move. He does not change. He is constant and He cares for us.
Through that experience, I found that God is faithful. He is faithful to join me in the pain of my own futility by hanging on a cross. A God who is faithful like that, who walks with me, redeems me, restores me – that God can be trusted.
God, teach us to trust in You both when we have it all together and when we’re falling apart. Amen.
There is so much division and dissension in the world today. It’s even found its way into the Church. We have so many ways we can separate ourselves, so many identities and labels to try on in order to define ourselves. But finding our own way and pursuing our own paths has left a trail of emptiness, confusion, and disillusionment.
God calls us to unity. He calls us to love. And He calls us His own.
We are not our vocation. We are not our calling.
We are not defined by our baggage, our circumstances, or our good works.
We are children of God: adopted, anointed, chosen.
We are a royal priesthood: righteous, accepted, and holy.
We are covered by the blood of Jesus.
We are loved.
And no matter the season we find ourselves in, whether in activity or rest, being stretched or being restored, we are instructed to walk with our God.
Wherever we go. However we feel. However we’ve missed the mark.
When we turn to Him, we will always find forgiveness and faithfulness.
The ultimate call of this life is to pursue Jesus, to embrace our identity as His child and run toward Him. We must abide, with eyes on Him, whatever the cost.
We can only find our purpose once we accept our identity.
We are all made in the image of God and the door to the Kingdom is open. All we have to do is step through.
Have you placed your identity in Christ? If not, I’d like to pray with you now:
Father, we draw near to you embracing our inheritance as your daughters. Teach us your ways as we walk through this life with You. Help us to hear your voice. We are listening. Hold us in Your love. Save us with Your grace. And free us to do good works in Your Name. Thank you for rescuing us. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Last Sunday my husband and I were on the prayer team and our pastor called people up for prayer who wanted more of the Holy Spirit. As people were walking up I was thinking people should be flooding the aisles of church, asking for prayer, for power, for anointing, for healing. But I wondered if I’d be in line if I weren’t already standing up front.
Sometimes I feel like the Church is full of worn and weary soldiers on day six of marching around Jericho. Do we realize we are on the brink of victory if we will just keep walking? If we have faith to blow the horn and shout the victory, the walls will fall?
Life is hard. It is dangerous. We have a real enemy and evil does run rampant on the earth. But we are called to stand and fight not cower and complain. We are commanded to be bold not fearful. Whenever our enemy accuses or tries to take us out, we don’t need to be afraid. For He has already won the victory.
“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:57
And there is nothing we can do or that can happen to us that will ever separate us from the love of God.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39
We are His. We are free. And He gives us power to not only overcome sin but to overcome the enemy.
We are ineffective if we are isolated, licking our wounds in the corner.
An army’s power is in working together toward a common goal. There is strength in numbers and in unity of purpose.
A battalion of believers, bonded and secure, is Satan’s worst nightmare.
I was weak, ineffective, and afraid until I joined my own little battalion of women – women who journey together; sharing secret struggles, old wounds, fears of the past and the future, who pray for each other and each other’s families. This group of women, when they ask, “How are you doing?” really mean, “Do we need to find a private place to talk?” Our unit has banded together to march forward claiming victory for each of us. We are strong because our spirits are bonded by the Spirit who dwells in each of us and because we hold each other up when we are weak. Together we are a formidable force against the powers of the enemy.
I also have a husband who believes in my dreams and holds me accountable, even if it means staying up until midnight Tuesday to finish the post. A healthy, united marriage, where struggles and victories are shared, is another daunting weapon against evil.
Shame’s only power is in darkness. When we share our weakness, our struggles, and our sin with other Christians, they lose their power to hold us back.
I am not special. These relationships should not be exceptional. But they are intentional and they come at a cost. Time, energy, risk – this is the cost of warrior relationships. But the benefits are too numerous to count – acceptance, friendship, love, strength, purpose…
We need to care for our wounded, lifting them up both in sincere prayer and practical assistance. A struggling brother or sister should be met with compassion not judgment.
If you are not healed, keep asking. Not just God. Ask other believers to agree with you for healing.
If you are scared, surround yourself with the love of other believers.
If you are weak, join hands with your brothers and sisters in worship; link arms, praise our God together. He is good and we will find strength when we stand with other believers.
Choose to believe Christ has already won the war, death and evil have been defeated. Link arms with our brothers and sisters in Christ and fight until the battle is over.
Take your place in His army, marching forward, retaking ground for the Kingdom. He gives us the weapons to fight (Ephesians 6:10-18) and gifts to share (1 Corinthians 12:8-11).
Stand in victory today. Live in victory every day you have left on this earth.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
God, strengthen our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Fortify and equip us for battle. Drive out our fear of being known, of being exposed. Cover us with the cleansing blood of you Son, Jesus Christ and fill us with the peace of your Spirit. Let us fight together until the day You return of call us Home.
Last week we talked about how Jesus called the children to Him, blessing them (See: 5 Prayers for our Children). He also taught about what it takes to enter the kingdom of God:
“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
Mark 10:15
So what does that look like exactly?
I believe we can learn a lot about God by studying the relationship between parent and child and the faith children place in their parents.
Presence
When our son is playing soccer, I’ll see him look up every once in a while to see if we’re watching, especially if he just scored a goal. He knows we’re there, but he wants to know we see him. At our daughter’s ballet recital, the first thing her and all of her three and four year-old classmates did was try to find their families in the audience. Again, they knew we were there but they wanted to know we were watching.
Our kids trust we will be there for them. They trust us to know what’s important to them and to be there to see them, to know them.
Childlike faith in God is trusting He is there, even when we can’t see Him. It’s trusting His eye is on us and He knows what’s important to us.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
Psalm 32:8
Unconditional Love
We have a saying in our house. I’ll tell my kids, “I love you.” And they’ll repeat it back. Then I’ll ask, “Even when you’re naughty?” Then they answer, “Yes. Even when I’m naughty.” It’s a beautiful thing. Our kids know they will never lose our love. Even when they’re having a hard time or when they lose control, we’ll be there to love them through it.
Part of my Mother’s Day gift from my daughter (Her teacher filled it out)
That’s how our Father is. Even when we screw up, when we sin, when we walk away, when we hide our face from Him, He still loves us. And He loves us through it, providing His Spirit as the Divine Helper to turn us around, change our hearts, and teach us to love Him better.
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39
Provision
One of our kids favorite places to go is the local dollar store. That place seems to have everything…and it’s only a dollar. So when we walk in, our kids immediately run to the back of the store where the toys are and start to ask for whatever trinket they find on that particular day. Sometimes I say no. Sometimes I say yes. And while our kids don’t always take it well, they know I am the authority over them and I make the decisions about what we need.
We get to fight over toys at the dollar store because my kids take many things for granted. They have faith we will provide for their needs. They have faith they will have a house and a bed to sleep in. They trust we will provide regular access to food and water. They have faith that when winter comes they will have a coat, snow pants, boots, mittens, and a hat to keep them warm.
Having the faith of our children is trusting God will provide for us. He knows our needs and He is more than able to meet them. His timing is also perfect and He will give us just what we need just when we need it.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
Matthew 6:25-26
Authority
Especially when our kids are young, they need us to take them by the hand to lead them where they need to go. I still grab our daughter’s hand when we walk in a parking lot to keep her close to me and safe from passing cars. When we get in the car, our kids may ask where we’re going but they don’t usually ask how to get there. They trust we know where we’re going and we’ll get us all there safely.
Children must also be disciplined at times, because, it turns out that like us, they are not perfect. I’ve been reading The Connected Child and it talks about the importance of playful engagement with our kids. It frames discipline not necessarily as punitive, though at times it is, but as teaching our children so they can learn and grow. It advocates for discipline to meet the level of misbehavior which is sometimes just asking if our children would like to try again.
God is like that. He gives us chance after chance, forgiving us each time we ask. He also knows the Way. Having the faith of a child is trusting that God has a path laid out for us and only He knows how to lead us. It’s coming under His authority in our lives and submitting to His will and teaching.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7
The Faith of a Child
Having the faith of our children is knowing we bring joy to our Creator simply by existing and even greater joy when we become the people we were created to be. It means asking for help when we need it, trusting the answers, and learning from our mistakes. It means living more in the moment, realizing every breath matters. It’s looking up every so often to see our Creator looking back at us, watching us with eyes of Love. And it’s knowing that He gave everything, even conquering death, in order to give us life.
The faith of a child allows us to be free. Free to be who we were made to be. Free to do what we were created to do. Free to grow in the gifts of the Spirit.
