When I was young, I had the wildest career ideas. Life was an adventure waiting for us to pick up the map. I dreamed of being a caped crusader or teaming up with Indiana Jones. I was resolute in my faith in God’s ability to perform the impossible, even if that meant He had to save me from dinosaurs. We’re unhindered in our beliefs when we’re young.
We’re not limited by the opinions of those around us. We are unashamed in what we believe in.
Impossible faith
What changes when we get older? We go from believing that the impossible becomes possible with God to thinking that our impossible is too great or an unreasonable as for the Creator of the universe.
“He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew chapter 18, verse 2-4).
The instruction to become more childlike seems counterintuitive. To become childlike could be perceived as an instruction to immaturity and ignorance, but in turn I see this as an instruction for us to return to our ability to believe in the impossible. A child does not question the ability of the father to provide, but unabashedly asks with the expectation of receiving. Our faith, our ability to believe in the exceeding power and abundance of God’s provision should not be restricted by our limited perception of the world and how our Creator fits into our space.
Child-like faith
“Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen.” (Hebrews chapter 11, verse 1, TPT)
Keeping your child-like faith alive isn’t easy. If this is something you’ve lost along your journey in this life, it may be harder for you to ignite the spark of child-like faith – but that’s what faith is! It’s essentially stepping into the unknown on the resolution that you will be caught by the Father. Once we ignite the spark, the fire will lay the foundation for the way we approach life, people and the world we live in. All it takes to start is faith the size of a mustard seed. Child-like faith will grow, but will always remain pure of intent.
Practicing faith
When I was young, probably around age 8, I started taking piano lessons. I loathed every moment of it. I couldn’t get past a piece called “Mr. Frog is full of hops”. Disheartened at my lack of progress, I decided to quit. At the time, my parents saw an end I couldn’t, and pushed me to keep trying, keep practicing and not give up. Now, at 27, I’m still at it, with the knowledge that a simple activity has shaped the person I am.
Similarly, faith doesn’t come easily. It requires practice and continuous evaluation. The ability to believe in something unseen doesn’t come easily, or without practice.
“And I pray that he would unveil within you the unlimited riches of his glory and favor until supernatural strength floods your innermost being with his divine might and explosive power. Then, by constantly using your faith, the life of Christ will be released deep inside you, and the resting place of his love will become the very source and root of your life.” (Ephesians chapter 3, verse 16-17, TPT)
The growth of our faith will take practice. This will involve exercises that cause us to constantly use our faith and stretch our beliefs despite our fears. Our practice requires us to go to God repeatedly in prayer and to His word to grow, learn His character and nature and develop our strength. Our practice will grow us, develop us and mature us, all from starting at the right place, the faith I had when I was young.
Crystelda Naidoo hails from South Africa. She is an avid nerd and an unapologetic dreamer. She has completed a BSc. Biological Sciences and BCom Hons. having majored in marketing, and has since launched the lifestyle blog - Selah Blogger - targeted at empowering women in their daily lives. The blog can be found at https://selahblogger.wordpress.com/ Crystelda Naidoo’s previous articles may be viewed at https://www.pressserviceinternational.org/crystelda-naidoo.html