Childlike Faith

[Connie]

What is it?

In what ways are we supposed to be like a child or have faith like a child and in what ways are we to "put off childish things?"

[Vort]

Children think their parents are God. They assume their parents have complete control of any situation, and implicitly put their entire trust in their well-being into their parents' hands (like they have much of a choice in the matter). That is how we are supposed to act with respect to God -- the difference being, God really is God.

[Just_A_Guy]

(Vort, good to see you posting again.)

/threadjack

[Generally_Me]

I will paraphrase because I don't have my faith-promoting stories book with me.

Pres. Monson told a story once about going to a funeral, and at that funeral he was met by a young girl (IIRC, she was 5 or 6 years old). The funeral was for that child's mother. She took him to the coffin, showing him her mother's body, and said "That's my mommy's body. Isn't she pretty?" When she noticed Pres. Monson's tears, she became concerned. "Don't cry, because Mommy is in heaven with God, and she'll watch over me all my life until I'm with her again."

That story, to me, is what we should strive for in our faith. She believed so completely in God's promise of eternal families that, during a time that would have been most children's darkest hour (the loss of a loving parent) she was comforting other people! She trusted God to fulfill His end of the bargain, she understood that this life is a blip, and she had no doubt that she would be with her mother again one day.

[Maxel]

One story I heard (it teaches through allegory, so I don't think it requires a source...):

A little blind girl was on her father's lap on a long train ride. The father engaged in discussion with a stranger, which lasted for a few hours. In time, the father needed to readjust his things, so he let the stranger hold his daughter for a minute or two. When asked if she was concerned or frightened that she was being held by a man she didn't know and couldn't see, she said "My daddy knows who he is and trust him, so it's safe".

I think that level of trust in God- that everything will work out all right because God is good, God loves us, and all things that we experience are for our good- coupled with continually humbling ourselves in His sight leads to pure, childlike faith.

As for putting off childish things- I think the things of this earth and man's fallen nature that aren't in line with the Gospel are the "things of a child" that we need to put off. Such things as impatience, doubt, anger, murmuring, and other failings that children often have need to be put off through strengthening our spirit.

Edited September 30, 2009 by Maxel

[Hemidakota]

Maxel, nicely put....thanks

For me, the greatest analogy is telling the child who was stuck in the tree to let go and [father] I will catch you.

[Misshalfway]

I find myself in "childish" things when I get impatient because the Lord doesn't answer all of my questions or solve all my problems. And at the same time I feel the Lord invite me to dispute not because I see not and to trust Him to lead me with patience and faith.

Maturity is an interesting thing. It knows how to hold the trust on the one side and the uncertainty on the other in patience and all the while trust oneself too. Isn't it interesting how this kind of trust isn't ignorance or stupidity? If we don't stay childlike....maybe we just become bitter and battered.

[Bini]

What is it?

In what ways are we supposed to be like a child or have faith like a child and in what ways are we to "put off childish things?"

To be fearless and non-judgmental alike that of a child. To allow the Lord into our hearts and trust him without question like a child would do. That's what I think.

[pam]

A quote from Elder Anthony D. Perkins of the Seventy:

Childlike faith in the perfect love of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will “divide asunder” Satan’s snares of inadequacy, imperfection, and guilt.

[Hemidakota]

An old friend who was my bishop years ago, Bishop Gene Cook, talked about the characteristics of faith that yield some further clarity here. Even in one of his book, gave account of a father teaching moment with his children at the family table -

One morning our family was talking at the breakfast table. We had finished our scripture reading, and I was trying to teach the children something. I had set things up so that they would ask me a question and then say, "Oh Dad, tell us about it." And that's just what happened. So I said, "Well, I am glad that you asked!" Then I asked them, "Do you believe what I am going to teach you now?" And then one of the older boys, who was nine at the time, just as quickly as he could get it out, said, "Dad, we believe all of the words that you tell us." I don't know anything greater that a man could hear from his son.

The Lord told Alma, "Blessed art thou, Alma, . . because of thy exceeding faith in the words alone of my servant Abinadi." (Mosiah 26:14-15.) Had an angel appeared to Alma about that time? No. He just believed on Abinadi's words.

You know, faith is related to our belief. To put in a simple term, childlike belief is an important characteristic of faith in the Lord. Reading in Matthew 21:22 the Lord says, "All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” But what about power of this of belief? One may ask. If we go back an examine Alma writings of the event he witnessed in Noah’s court, one might better understand the power of belief:

God is merciful unto all who believe on his name; therefore he desireth, in the first place, that ye should believe, yea, even on his word. But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words. (Alma 32:22, 27; italics added.)

Alma couldn’t explain it any easier than this, "even if ye can no more than desire to believe..." It stands to reason; belief is the beginning of the process of acquiring faith.

If we turn to our beloved Savior, He taught us the great power of belief in the example of the man from whose son he cast out a evil dominion. Read what is given here -

One of the multitude . . . said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

He answereth him, and saith, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? . . . bring him unto me.

And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him; but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

When Jesus saw that the people came running together he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up and he arose. (Mark 9:17-27; italics added.)

We see from this story that simple belief is an integral part of having faith. Not only belief, but faith is related to hope and not associated with doubt or fear.