Gimme That Childlike Faith
Yesterday, I blogged about the mighty giants who our children can be in today’s times. Today, I’m talking about wanting to go back to having that childlike faith again that loved those flannel board stories of a little shepherd boy who conquered a giant with a sling and a stone. I want that giant-conquering mentality every day!
I’m typing this blog from my mattress-on-the-floor of my children’s guest bedroom in Frisco, TX. The bed itself, is packed, along with most all of the other furniture. I’m helping them complete their move to Rusk,TX and the moving truck is full. Hopefully, I’ve whet your appetite for an upcoming blog on that move but this day it’s about how much I wanna go back to my childlike faith.
I like to think that my faith is so steadfast in my sovereign and almighty God that I don’t ever second guess His plans for my life. And, I guess I do a decent job at it when I can pick up and drive for miles and miles on my own. Perhaps I really do have my “big girl britches” on. I’ve had a great deal on my plate for the last week or so as I made my way to Tulsa for a beautiful few days and then back home with a full week of “to-do’s” before I was in full on, incessant rain all the way to Frisco. Thank God, I made it safe and sound.
Still, often my faith wanes and “I Wanna Go Back”. That’s a song that describes how the older we get, we start to lose our childlike faith. And when we do that, we lose our childlike belief that we can do and be anything and go anywhere. I must have that childlike faith that enables me to drive in crazy, gridlock traffic, jostling for my position in between 18-wheelers and rambunctious drivers who want to get through the maze of bottlenecked highways. Yep! I’m talking about the Dallas traffic….and going home, it will be in Austin traffic. Hmmm! Maybe I do have childlike faith when I don’t give those roads a second thought as I manuever my way through them successfully! Atta, Girl!
David Dunn sings “I wanna go back to “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so:. I wanna go back to “This little light, gonna let it shine.” This song reminds me to hang onto my childlike faith.
This song reminds me how much Jesus really loves me and I seriously know it. I’m not just singing words. I’m singing from my very being. He loves ME! He sees me as a beloved daughter and though often I feel like a messed-up kid, He still loves me — this I know!
As a kid, I thought God was out to get me when I peeked at a friend’s paper to get the answer to a question, or the little fib I told my mom. I feared Him and His big stick. But today, I recognize my mistakes quickly, and do my best to make amends. I feel His arms around me, pulling me into Him and His gentle words: “I forgive you. Do better next time!” And, about that wanting to go back to “This little light, gonna let it shine” – I’m doing that too.
I’m not that little kid any more who thinks God is punishing me for something I did wrong. I didn’t really understand grace until I grew up and rationalized that the free-flowing grace of my Father is what proves Jesus loves me this know! Not just because the Bible tells me so. I know. God has proven His love and grace for me in abundance – far more than I deserve. So I purpose, first thing EVERY SINGLE DAY – to let my little light shine through my blogs and my “can’t keep it to myself” attitude. I have a good Father – and I must share Him.
Now, I sing “Jesus loves me this I know” with absolute certainty of that love. He keeps a watchful eye on me and delivers me safe from harm. I recognize the car that almost ran into me, the misstep that I took and didn’t fall down, the sweet embrace of a friend and I know it’s Him loving me through them. We’re big kids and by now we should be fully aware of God’s love. If we really understood His love, we’d understand how He smiles at us with a gleam in His eyes — the same way I watch my kids and grandkids. If I see my own with the joy of a mother’s heart, I know He sees me with a joy that surpasses my understanding. I know because the same God who created them, created me. He created you. I want to smile back at God with the confidence of a daughter. A daughter who knows “Jesus loves me. This I know, with absolute certainty!” How about you?