To Know + To Love

Years ago I asked a friend what their thoughts were on what the Bible calls "Faith like a child." We've all seen so much by the time we exit childhood, and especially into adulthood. Not one of us comes through scot-free. Death, failure, divorce, war, famine, cancer, job-loss, love-loss, miscarriage, depression, abuse, addiction... How is it that we could possibly "become like little children" after all that we've been through and all that we've seen?

My friend responded and said that to tell people to have child-like faith is a slippery slope. He said that it promotes ignorance and immaturity within the church to instruct people to blindly follow and never ask questions.

I thought about this a lot, at the time, and in the moment wasn't sure how to confidently counter that statement. I knew Christ wouldn't say something as bold as “unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven,” if it wasn’t true.

Almost 10 years passed with that question invading my mind again and again. Obviously when Christ talks about "faith like a child," He isn't likening it to some sort of spiritual immaturity or carelessness. He isn’t saying “be child-ISH.” So what DOES He mean?

Last week I started re-reading a book my grandfather wrote called "The Immortal I: Restoring the Sovereignty of the Soul.” In it, he talks about loving and knowing--unique faculties of the soul--and how these are modeled in the life of a child. I flipped through his book, excitedly, as the answer to my question began to materialize in a new and beautiful way.

TO KNOW

“Um mommy, how is that baby going to get out of your tummy?” Every. Single. Night. “You know Violet,” I say for the 27th time, “God has a special way that He helps mommies have babies when they are ready. I’ll go to the doctor and daddy will be there too... and when we come home you will have a little baby brother or sister! Isn’t that amazing?!”

“Well, yeah.” Violet wrinkles her forehead. “But HOW does the baby get OUT?”

Umm….

“Why is the sky gray today? Why are my feet stinky? Why does daddy make eggs better than you do? Who made the park? Who made the trees? Why are there bad guys? Why did Henry pee on my floor? How do I make a house out of play-doh? How do I make a castle out of play-doh? Is heaven bigger than a castle? Why doesn’t my play-doh taste good? Is God bigger than the BIGGEST WHALE IN THE WHOLE OCEAN?” And 'round and 'round we go on the merry-go-round that is questions asked by a 3 year old.

Contrary to the assertation that a child is somehow blissfully ignorant, anyone who spends 5 minutes around a young child quickly finds a tiny person that is hungry for knowledge and delights in gaining understanding.

TO LOVE

As I write this afternoon I can hear Violet singing a made up melody to herself in the next room:

"I love mommy and mommy loves me. I love daddy. Daddy loves me. I love my fam-i-ly. Henry loves me and I love my brother Heeenry. We are a family and we loooo-oooo-oove each other..."

Children delight in the gift that is the ability to love and be loved. With no agenda (usually) they dole out kisses and praises and gratitude and adoration because they know the infinite pleasure of the self-less love that God created us for. And while they are surely not perfect, a 3 or 4 year old hasn't been tainted by a hunger for

money or power or wordy accolades… the gifts of loving and being loved, in and of themselves, are new and beautiful miracles to a child.

“Airplane! Airplane! Airplane!” Henry cries, pointing wildly at the sky. He does this when we drive, he does this when we walk. He waits by the window on garbage day and stands in silent wonder at the splendor of a garbage truck lifting and dumping bins, over and over. I read him “Corduroy” 20 times in one morning and every time we get to the page with the night watchman he jumps up from my lap and yells “Flashlight! Flashliiiiiight!” Children do not miss the miracles that have become like white noise to us. They see the good that is everywhere with fresh eyes and open hearts.

“Life is not lost by dying. Life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in small uncaring ways.” –Stephen Vincent Benet

Tragically, like any good and perfect gift that has been abused since the fall, we lose sight of the perfection of the Love of God. We begin to twist and taint and hoard love to meet our selfish needs. We can’t see the forest through the trees anymore, forgetting that God’s ways are higher than our ways. We are hurt and broken and blind, fumbling in the darkness to fill our emptiness with a love that we design, a love that is selfish and half-hearted and riddled with contingencies.

FAITH LIKE A CHILD

How many sitcoms or dramatic series have you started watching loathing a main character? Then, by the end of the series, you adore them and even miss their quirks? Great character development in cinema is achieved by showing us the true, multi-faceted nature of imperfect, lovable people. We are only able to LOVE when we truly KNOW (understand). We seek to KNOW when our barriers are down and our hearts are open.

I believe what many brilliant people have said before me (including my grandpa Gene-Hey grandpa!), that this only happens in a deep, transformational way when we seek to know and love a perfect God who already knows and loves us. Christ’s words about entering the Kingdom of Heaven are not about exclusion. They are about giving us exactly what we’ve been seeking in this life.

If we knock, the door will be opened. THAT is what Christ means when he talks about “faith like a child.” And THAT is Good News.

kb    

   

Author’s Note: For more on “The Immortal I” by Eugene B. Shea: http://www.theimmortali.com/