This year my daughter turned 10 years old. It’s been kind of hard to come to the reality that it’s been 10 years since I brought another living breathing human being into this world. They really don’t lie when they say that you blink and your child is grown! During these past 10 years I have learned a lot. Not only have I learned a lot about how to be a parent and raise a child, but I have learned a lot about my faith. Being a parent definitely tests things like your patience, kindness and trust in God. Many a times have I prayed to God to guide me in the right decision for my child and myself and my husband. It is not an easy thing to do, and I must admit that I have leaned hard on God to help me through it. Although there are a ton of books and articles about how to raise your child, there is no handbook on how to be the perfect parent, and even if there was, I’m not sure that anyone would be able to follow it!

One thing that has truly amazed me over the last few years is watching my daughter’s faith grow. Remember that show, “Kids Say the Darndest Things”? There’s a lot of truth behind it! I wish that I had really thought to keep a journal of all the funny things she has said over the years. We just celebrated Easter a few weeks ago, and I can’t help but to be touched by something my daughter told me. A couple days before Easter as I was putting her to bed, she looked at me and said, “Mommy, I’m so excited for Easter!” I thought to myself, “Here we go. She’s going to tell me how excited she is to get chocolate eggs and go on Easter egg hunts and get a visit from the Easter bunny.” Her answer, however, surprised me. She said, “I can’t wait for Jesus to rise from the dead!” She said it with such certainty and conviction. There was no doubt in her mind that this was going to (and did) happen. She was filled with true joy for the resurrection of her Lord!

There have been many other times when my daughter has let her true faith shine through. Sometimes in discussions, she will say something like, “Well why didn’t these people just trust in God?”, or “Don’t they know if they just pray to God it can happen?” Her faith is so strong because she’s never really been given a reason to not trust in God. Don’t we all wish that were the same truth for us? Many of us adults struggle with our faith every day. Why? It’s because the world has shown us, time after time, how much sin and evil is out there in it. We have been let down, disappointed, crushed and abandoned by the world. We have felt sadness, pain, grief and brokenness. Although we know the promise we have in our Lord Jesus Christ, we sometimes still wonder why bad things have to happen to us, especially when we have tried to remain faithful to God.

“But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’” Luke 18:16-17

What is Jesus telling us here? What does it mean to receive the kingdom of God like a little child? Well, let’s think about it for a minute. As I hinted about earlier, children tend to take things literally, and they will tell you exactly what they think without sugar coating it. Kids are matter of fact. Most children, although sadly not all, have a pure, innocent view of the world. Over time, as we grow up, we lose that innocence. We are hurt and scarred. It gets harder and harder to keep our faith strong, especially when the world feeds us so many lies.

So, does that make it wrong or bad to question our faith? Absolutely not. You should never make yourself feel guilty for questioning things about your faith. It is natural to want to learn and ask questions. God knows that we will be faced with many trials in this life.

Peter tells us in the book of 1 Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” We know that Satan is there waiting for an opportunity to enter into our minds, but as James reminds us, we must be strong. “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” James 4:7

The devil will try to plant these seeds of doubt and worry into your head. You must, however, resist him and his evil ways. This is no easy task, but it can be done, even with the smallest amount of faith. Jesus told his disciples, “…Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

Even when the world beats you down, and your faith is reduced to just the smallest amount, you are not lost! You can still grow that faith from the smallest mustard seed into a big beautiful tree. Here are some things you can do to help your faith grow.

• First, don’t be afraid to ask questions! It’s ok to not understand something, or to simply want to know more. That is how you learn and grow in your faith. Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for questioning your faith.
• Second, seek out someone you can talk to about your faith. This could be a family member or trusted friend, or a pastor or bible study leader. Let them know what you are facing, and let them help guide you on the right path for your faith journey.
• Lastly, don’t be afraid to go back to the days of having that child-like faith. Remember the simple promises that the Lord has made to you. Remember how Jesus died on the cross for you. You are saved by grace through faith. God promises to be there for you, through all your trials. Take all your worries and concerns and lift them up to God. He is listening. He will provide for you if you have even but the smallest faith. So be like the child who is bold in their faith!

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13

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Can I pray for you? Send me a message at molly@savedbygrace.blog