3 Things I’ve Learned from My Kids About Faith
My husband and I pray over our kids at night while they’re asleep. I pray that they will be protected spiritually, physically, and emotionally. I pray that they will grow to have a hunger for God and that his wisdom would thrive in them. I pray many, many Bible verses over them. Although these prayers are for my children, as God has begun answering them, he’s brought my attention to a gap in my own faith life.
My son has started reading the Bible on his own, discussing it at length, and praying for family members out-loud throughout our days. It has blessed me immeasurably to watch! As I’ve seen this blossoming in my son, God has been reminding me what Jesus said about the faith of a child.
In Luke 18, we read about the disciples rebuking those who brought children to Jesus, but Jesus “invited them” saying, “Let the little children come to me, and don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I assure you: Whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child, will never enter it” (Luke 18:16–17).
I only needed a few weeks of that nudging to get God’s drift. Thankfully, this conviction was an opportunity to bond with my children. The call was simple: study my children in their faith and learn from it. What a strange feeling it was to begin modeling what they were doing instead of the other way around! Let me tell you what I’ve learned so far.
My Kids Bring Their Reality to Jesus
My kids certainly don’t approach the Lord sounding like tiny seminary graduates, they just approach with what’s on their hearts. They very simply say, “Dear Jesus…” and then spill out whatever comes to mind. Occasionally something rather profound makes it out of their little mouths, but more often than not, they share with Jesus about their day-to-day concerns.
I’m confident that praying the Bible over family, friends, the world, and circumstances is a biblical principle we should all practice. But, after watching my kids, I’m equally convinced that stripping our prayers back to the basics can be a stepping stone to growth. Now my prayers have begun sounding a lot more like my five-year-old’s and a lot less like a performance.[1]
My Kids Have a Simple Trust in God
Too often I approach God with a tentative, not-quite-sure heart. I’ve seen God move in my life, and yet so often I pray without the backing of deep faith. We have a tendency to develop and cling to doubts so easily, especially as we grow older and see and experience suffering. But my kids have not yet begun to doubt. A bit of learning and a bit of play make up their days. They haven’t yet experienced the deep distractions and interruptions of life. If I tell them that God is good and that he loves them and that he will answer their prayers, they believe it. They know it’s true, and so they come to God with their prayers and their full trust.
I’ve been practicing praying over my doubts, even if I can’t quite name them, and asking God to “help my unbelief,” before speaking any other prayers (Mark 9:24). Grace floods me in moments like these as God reminds me that even this small prayer is an act of faith. It’s my “mustard seed faith” in this season, and I trust God to move mountains in my heart with it.[2] Small deposits of faith lead to growth, the bit by bit kind that lasts a lifetime, and sustains us through trials.
My Kids are Okay with Unanswered Questions
Friends, this is the most important lesson my children are teaching me. My children have heard of God’s goodness and love in songs and books and at church. They’ve heard of it from family and from the movies we select for them, and they witness God as Creator in all our outdoor activities. Because they know, deeply, that God is good and wild about them, they are comfortable with unanswered questions. My son may ask me why God created the snake with the features that he chose, and I will say, “I don’t know, kiddo. You can ask him yourself one day.” He is fine with that answer because he trusts God’s good plan.
I wish I could say that I’ve always mirrored my son’s easy acceptance, his steady trust in God’s plan. It’s a bit harder for moms and dads whose questions stem from life’s most challenging moments, rather than from the wonder of creation. I could grow in childlike faith when I don’t know how to love someone well in a tough situation or how to make a big decision. I long for that growth even though offering the Father my trust can be tough. Like my son, I have to repeat, “God’s plan is good,” when I too don’t know the answer to my questions.
Of all that I learned from watching my children, the call to focus on foundational truths from Scripture is the loudest. God loves me, I am his child, and he gives me all that I need. If I needed all the answers, he would have certainly made the Bible about thirty times thicker, but I don't. Just like my two faithful little ones, I just need to come to Jesus. I pray that you too, will curve your faith-walk into the wide-eyed love of a child, and if you have little ones, I hope you will let them teach you something new about loving Jesus.
[1] Matthew 1:1–6
[2] Matthew 17:20
