Faith like a child

I was blessed to take my niece and two of her friends to a FREE Jeremy Camp concert on Monday in Southlake, and it was AMAZING. For those of you who know me-you know I am a "concertaholic" and go to them constantly, but this was one of the best worship experiences I have ever had during a concert. I practically was able to sit at the foot of the stage (making eye contact with Jeremy several times) and was just able to bask in the worship that was going on all around me and I was participating in. It was just what I needed, and a really special time.

Another cool thing is right in front of me was an obviously mentally challenged kid who was sitting with his arms hanging over the altar on the stage, and worshiping like crazy!! It was beautiful-he just looked like he was in heaven. At one point, Jeremy came down and shook his hand, and when he turned around-his face was priceless-you would've thought it was Christmas morning!! Out of privacy for him, I did not get his face-but you get the jest in this picture:


It reminded me of the idea of having faith like a child. It was just a really beautiful portrayal of someone by the world's standards who might not understand everything-but knows God and places his trust in Him, and worships him with reckless abandonment. How many of us can claim we do that? Sometimes we worry too much about what other people think, or what they would say if they saw us or knew what we were thinking. Sometimes we get so caught up in Yet, God calls us to His throne to lay all we are at His feet and have pure faith like a child-that trusts in His plan and worships Him with no fear, humility, and no worries about what others think. I want that. I long for that-the pure, unadulterated faith that clings to our Father and does not let go. He is my rock, He is my strength, and I love Him. I want to follow Him with all that I have, live my life to the fullest, and see Him through the eyes of one who has not been tainted by the world, who has not questioned His faithfulness, but places 100% trust in His arms, His plans, and ultimately WHO He is. There is an entire chapter in Hebrews devoted to faith, and those who have been faithful-through the good and the bad.

Sometimes, I do want to go back to when I had innocent childlike faith that trusted things would work out and the world was as it should be. Now, I know otherwise-which created a whole other world of vulnerabilities. But, I know that the ups and downs, mountaintops and valleys, joyful times and trials have made me who I am, and have formed me into more of what God wants-and invites me to draw closer to Him and trust, to have faith in His strength and power. After all...even if I have doubts, God remains faithful.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." ~Hebrews 12:2