Faith like a child - how does that work?Posted by John Smith on September 23rd, 2019 If you do not repent and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. So Jesus once challenges his disciples. But what does faith like a child mean? Shall we become naive? Say yes to everything? The opposite is the case: we can ask like the children.
The Bible passage is known. "If you do not repent and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." But how do children believe? And what does such a childlike faith look like in an adult? 200 questions per day: Preschool and elementary school children ask you a hole in your stomach. Every day, you can ask the 200 questions that are available to you. "Did God only make a world?" "How old is God?" "Why do people have to die?" Children do not know an unconditional faith. They ask many questions and are thus at the center of what makes faith. The role model of the parents: Children are guided by their faith in the beliefs of their parents. Even with the faith of their parents in view, children ask questions. They set their priorities. And more and more they are getting to the point where they realize that their parents do not reflect God in all areas. This with the example of a girl who kept talking about the history of the temple cleansing by Jesus, she wanted to know if Jesus was often "disengaged". At some point, it turned out that the girl came from a violent family environment. It wanted to compare its family role models with God. A questionnaire: As we get older, we usually get used to questions. Although we do not know much anymore, we prefer to look like we have all the answers. And whoever has all the answers has a sound theology. Anyone who asks questions worries so others, he is quick as doubters. The psychiatrist tells of a long theological discussion with children. Afterward, a girl asked him, "Do you think that God has listened to us?" He said, "I hope so." The children agreed enthusiastically. It was important to them not only to talk about God but also with him. This creates a culture of questioning that cannot be put off by the classic "What should others think of me?". "How children become" does not mean that they do not ask questions. On the contrary, it is more a matter of coming to God with all that concerns us, unfiltered, without hesitation. Like it? Share it! More by this author |