What does it mean that God wants us to be childlike with our faith? How can childlike faith and creativity go together? Let’s first start with what is the biblical definition of faith?
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1
There is no doubt in faith
God wants us to truly believe and have the faith that He is going to do what He says He is going to do. He wants us to be childlike; free, full of wonder and awe. Children tend to believe in things that they cannot see. Just because they can’t see it doesn’t mean they will not believe it. He wants us to have that faith. People have faith, and many say they have a big faith. But the key to this is how far and wide does your faith go? How long will you hold onto that faith when its looking bleak in the physical world, and it LOOKS to YOU like things will not happen as God said. Will you give up? Or will you hold onto God’s Word and His promises? These are things that we as Christians can get hung up on. God doesn’t want that for us. That’s where the childlike faith comes in. Don’t let go of that faith, and of the words that He promised.
You have a great purpose
Have you ever looked at God’s creations, and asked: “God how did you even come up with that?” I sure have! God created everything with a purpose. He created you and I with a unique purpose. It’s amazing. It’s actually pretty awesome. Because our God IS an awesome God. However, not everyone is walking in their purpose with God. Many are still walking in sin or living a life full of sin. When you are walking in sin, you won’t be able to clearly see your purpose, or what He has ultimately created you for. Before fully committing myself to Christ, I constantly wondered what my purpose in life was. It always felt like there was way more to life than what I was experiencing or was being shown, but I just did not know how to find it. When I really started seeking Him, that is when He started showing me what my purpose was. I just didn’t see it right away. God does not want you to leave this earth without fulfilling your purpose. It is His desire for you. As Christians, we are called to spread the gospel and make disciples. We all have the same assignment; we just have different abilities and ways of fulfilling it. Once you really start pressing into the Lord, believing in Him, and trusting in Him, He will make it very clear as to what He has called you here to do. Walking in faith with the Lord will help guide you to where He wants you to be.
Look all around you at God’s creations
All of these thoughts came over me today as my daughter asked me if I had ever seen an anteater. I have seen pictures before, but I never really paid too much attention to them. As I looked at the picture and a video she showed me, it just made me think so much more of HOW creative God is, and think even more on how did He come up with designing this little creature the way He did? The long snout and tongue; a creature created with a specific purpose. Anteaters were created to control insect population and to help prevent damage to vegetation. They have a specific role in this life, just as you and I each have a specific role.
When I saw the photo of an anteater, it reminded me of when I was a child, and drawing pictures, and having this vivid imagination for creating things, and I was just thinking about how children draw and come up with things. Being imaginative and creative. This anteater reminded me of a photo that I have seen go around of a child’s drawing of a car. It made me laugh, literally out loud, because our God has a sense of humor too, and few people talk about it, but He does!
God is so creative and you are too
God wants us to be creative and have fun while being creative and imaginative. God is SO creative and imaginative. His thoughts. They are not like our thoughts. They are different. However, we are all created in HIS image. We are created to be LIKE Him. As Christians, we are children of God. His creations are literally everywhere, and it is extremely hard to comprehend, when you see the beauty of everything around us, to think that God does not exist. God gave us our own creative abilities that were instilled in us before we were born. He wants us to use them, especially for helping bring people to His Kingdom. Think about what creative skills you have that could be utilized. Did you do things as a child that you really loved and then somehow lost interest in it as you got older because maybe life got in the way? Or maybe someone made you feel like your creativeness was less than, and they compared your ability to someone else’s, and that made you feel you weren’t good enough, so you stopped doing what you enjoyed or were good at? What I really loved and enjoyed doing was anything to do with art. I loved drawing and creating things, designing things, and I also loved writing. It made me feel such peace and contentment. (Who fills us with peace? 😉) Art class was always my favorite in school. I remember when our teacher would tell us that it was time for art, some of the kids would groan or whine. I always wondered why because art just came so easy to me, and it was fun.
Trust God
Then, I started comparing myself to other people’s skills. I started thinking I was not good enough and that I was just wasting my time with it. I eventually just stopped putting time into it and kind of lost the love for it over the years. Those thoughts of comparing myself to others I had let get into my head. They really had no business being there. Those thoughts were not from God. He created us all unique with different talents and different levels. All for His purpose. He does not compare us. He has set each of us apart to do different things for His Kingdom. For His Glory. Perhaps your creative abilities were never lost, or you never gave up on them, and still enjoy doing them, but maybe you are not quite sure if they heed a specific purpose. Maybe you are really good at influencing, or making people laugh, singing or playing an instrument. If God gave you these talents, He had a purpose in mind for them. If you go to Him and seek what it is that He wants you to do, He will show you. I promise. But you need to have faith and trust that He will show you. Trust as with the faith of a child. Ask Him for childlike faith. Your Father will come through for you. He will never fail you.
BE CREATIVE AS HE CREATED YOU TO BE
God wants us to be childlike. Not act like a child, but just have this childlike faith, and wonder and awe. He wants us to know Him and depend on Him for everything. Just as a child depends on their parents to provide for them, and give them everything they need. The children depend on their parents without worrying whether or not they will be provided for or taken care of, because they know that their parents are there for them, and their needs will be met. God wants us to be that way with Him. Depend on Him and not worry about how things will get done, but to just trust Him and know that He is always providing, and guiding, and protecting. Go back to the roots, before the world corrupted our thoughts. He wants us to know that He is always there for us and will never ever leave us or forsake us.
Deuteronomy 31:8
Humility
God wants us to have humility and know that without Him, we cannot do anything. Just as a child cannot do without help or direction from their parents. Humility consists of being humble, the fear of the Lord, trusting in Him with all things, and being free from pride and arrogance. We need to allow ourselves to surrender to His will and be teachable in all things. He is our life and our breath. He wants us to have fun with things, he gives us a sense of humor as HE has, and He wants us to enjoy our lives, all the while obeying Him and worshipping Him, praying to Him, and loving Him. He wants us to come to Him with everything. He desires a relationship with us. Talk to Him like He is right next to you, like you talk to your best friend. When you establish that relationship, He really is your best friend. Really. He wants the best for us as He is our Father first. He is our first love. He wants to give us nice things, but we are to know and follow that God is first in everything that we do. When we put Him first, our paths align with His desires for us, and they become our desires. We need to trust fully and completely in Him. Trust Him with that childlike faith.
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
Make time to sit with the Lord daily
It is a daily process. It is something that I am continually having to work on. It sounds easy enough, but when it comes down to it, it’s hard. It shouldn’t be, but WE make it hard. We make it harder than it needs to be, because we have so much outer noise from the distractions of this world. There is too much that we allow in our heads, that really has no business being in there. We need to remember that as Christians we are IN this world, but we are not OF the world. When children are younger, they are impressionable. But they do not yet have all of the outside noise trying to say otherwise to them. That is where we need to try and focus to get ourselves to. It is something that God will really guide you through. When you truly seek Him and submit yourself to Him. He will meet you where you are at. He always does. Just place that trust in Him. Continually ask Him for faith. Ask Him to remove any doubt that you might have that could stop you or delay you from fulfilling what He has called you to do. Revert back to that childlike faith of wonder and awe and trust Him without hesitation.
John 16:24
Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.
KEEP ASKING AND YOU WILL RECEIVE.