THE CHILDLIKE

At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.  My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11

Is it you or is it God?

Are you actually ceasing from “your” labors and entering “his” rest? Are you allowing God to keep you in all things?

At different times in our life- heartache and heaviness can come… in those difficult times we need to be careful not to stay in that fishnet of despair but direct that heartache and heaviness to Jesus so that we may swim free.

A piece of Raku pottery

Jesus can take our brokenness and turns it into something hopeful and beautiful - where there is healing for our scared hearts.  (When I wrote this I saw a picture of a beautiful piece of Raku pottery.)

In our daily life we can bring heaviness to our life through just our thoughts.

We can intentionally or inadvertently add weight by holding on to life too tightly and forgetting to live in God where there is renewing health and vitality for our soul.

Instead of experiencing life in the moment we mentally live in the previous or racing ahead….

There are responsibilities in our daily lives that need to get done but at what cost to our health and faith are they being done in?  Thoughts can be powerful things and adverse affects happen when we only think  in regimented and self-sufficient premises or outlooks and attitudes.  We are not keepers of ourselves.  We are not a slave to “unleashed” feelings… we are children of God and what He said our life is suppose to be set upon.  Our sufficiency, capability, adequacy comes from God… We are to cast all your cares upon who?

You know what will absolutely mess up your day?  It is thinking only in your own understanding. 

When I start thinking in a regimented way, I am mentally putting on the blinders on and closing God off.   Life becomes mundane and joyless because I am not being built up on the prosperous things of God but reverting to my own faulty understandings.  I am not thankful and the world becomes my taskmaster. 
 

 Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:3

In June, of last year, I had a dream about being at camp.  After camp we loaded an enormous bus.  For some reason, I ended up sitting on the top deck of bus that was open to the sky.   

The bus traveled up this steep, narrow swerving one-way road.  On one side of the road was a sharp slope of hillside and the other- a steep drop off.   

As the bus went up this road, it began to sway and tilt in the uncomfortable direction toward the steep drop off side of the road.  I felt as if the driver of the bus was taking the curves too fast.  It was even more bothersome because the top deck had no rails to keep people from accidentally falling off of the bus. I held a little boy sitting next to me tightly concerned he might slip off the top of the bus.  But as we came off the hillside without incident I saw all my concerns were unwarranted as we came to a white city that had these glimmering pools of water that rose ever so slight and then lowered again never over flowing their confinements.

When I had a chance to retell this dream to a friend recently, it dawned on me that the little boy I held on tightly to was a symbol.

As we travel on this narrow and difficult and perplexing road of life (Matthew 7:14) we need to hold tightly to our “childlike faith” that God will get us safely through the hazards of life. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
 

Childlike faith looks foolish to the world because it is not self-sufficient; all figured out, planned out but is a surrendered, reliant and entrusted in God. (1 Corinthians 1:27)

 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths.  Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.  Instead, fear the LORD and turn your back on evil.  Then you will gain renewed health and vitality.” Proverbs 3:5-8