Believe Like a Child

Posted on January 29, 2009 12:00 AM MST by Tiffany Kinerson

[Jesus] called a little child and had him stand among them. And He said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven....” Matthew 18:1-3

A few months ago, Matthew, my youngest child, decided he’d like to be baptized. (As an aside, we go to one of those denominations where the individual decides when/if he’d like to be baptized. We do not believe it is salvation-dependent, rather that baptism is an outward sign of an inward commitment. This is not my point, but only a background to you for what I’ll explain later.)

This. Is my point.

After Matthew decided he’d like to be baptized, the amount of hoops our church presented in order for him to fulfill his desire was almost mind-numbing. Especially when I tried to think about it from his six-year-old perspective. First, he had to leave his high-energy kid’s church and come to our sit-still-and-listen adult church. Then after surviving the quiet (it took him three attempts), the boy had to walk down in front of hundreds of adults, declare his intentions for baptism, and shake hands with a line of strangers who wanted to “congratulate” him on his decision. Let me state here that when I use my adult goggles, I can see the beauty in this idea. Just bear with me as I remove said spectacles and describe the scene through a child’s eyes.

And then we’ll move on to the next step toward baptism.

My six-year-old will go through seven (count ‘em seven!) weeks of classes complete with five days of homework per week, all centered around what it means to make the decision he’s already made—that of being a Christ-follower. Again, I do see the point in this, no doubt. But, remember, our church doesn’t even believe baptism is integral to his salvation; it’s just a single step of obedience.

After all this trying, waiting, working, and striving, finally, finally Matthew should be able to be baptized. Four months after he felt the pull to follow that directive, mind you, but—phew!—it will be done.

Which brings me to some Matthew 18-driven questions. Have we turned something heart-wrenchingly simple into something Spirit-thwartingly complex? If indeed we are to come to God like a child, doesn’t that mean we should come knowing only that we believe and want to obey God? Doesn’t that mean that we face Him with a “yes, sir,” and follow Him in excited freedom? Because isn’t that how a child believes?

When I was teaching my Jr. High class on Sunday, we read about the father in Mark 9:24 who asked Jesus to help him overcome his disbelief. We talked about how, when we lack in certain areas of our life, we can always ask God to give us the desire, the know-how, the ability to do it.

“That sounds too simple,” one of my girls said. 

Is it, though? Simple to squash our grown-up pride and beg God for something?

To be like a child, admit we’re helpless and depend on God seems like one of the loftiest requests He could ever ask of us. Just check out the steps it will take my child to complete one simple act of obedience. Shoo-wee. Makes me wonder what other straightforward acts I’ve turned into month upon month of tiresome work.

God, help me see everything through simple eyes. I want to hold on to You like a toddler holds his mother’s skirt— humble, trusting and dependent. Reveal every place in me that has become too “grown up” to bring glory to Your Kingdom anymore. I want to believe You like a kid again. Help me overcome my disbelief.

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