The Faith of a Child

By Diane Stark

“Mommy, Nathan is crying,” my six-year-old daughter Julia reported.

“He’s getting hungry,” I told her.  We went into the nursery and I scooped my three-month-old son up from his crib.  His wailing subsided almost immediately.

“Why did he stop crying, Mommy?”  Julia asked.  “Isn’t he still hungry?”

I nodded.  “Yes, he’s still hungry, but he stops crying when I pick him up because he trusts that I’m going to help him.”

“But I thought crying was his way of talking,” she said.

“It is, Honey.  Nathan cried so that I would pick him up.  Crying is his way of saying, ‘Mommy, I need you!’  But now that he has my attention, he doesn’t need to cry anymore.  He told me he needed me and now he is just going to trust me to meet his needs.”

“I’m glad he trusts you, Mommy,” she said.  “Because I don’t like when Nathan cries.”

“I don’t either,” I said.  Julia nodded and ran off to play.

As I fed my son, I spent some time in prayer.   I spoke to the Lord about some concerns I had.   I said ‘Amen,’ and my thoughts moved on to other topics.   I thought about the bills I needed to pay and the work that I needed to do.   And, of course, the worrying started.  

Then a sad truth hit me.  My three-month-old son trusted me more than I trusted God.  Nathan cried to say ‘I need you’ and then he relaxed and knew that I would take care of him.  I cried out to God in prayer, but instead of resting in His promises, I continued to worry about the very things I had just asked Him to handle.

Throughout the gospels, Jesus says that if we believe and ask for something in prayer, we will receive it.  When we pray, we say ‘I need You, Lord, and I trust You to do what’s best for me.’  Worrying is not only unnecessary and counterproductive, but it also shows a lack of faith.

I bent to kiss my son’s chubby cheek, silently thanking him for having faith in me.  And then I returned to prayer, asking the Lord to give me faith like a child’s.

Diane Stark writes from Brazil, Indiana. DianeStark19@yahoo.com