Part 2: Trusting God Like A Child

Proverbs 3:5
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding"

Notice how a small child, even a baby, allows you to pick them up and carry them. Does the child seem the least bit worried that you might drop him? Of course not. In fact, he usually has no idea whether he is one foot or 6 feet off the ground. He just assumes that since you have him in your arms, everything is going to be alright. He doesn’t ask for your credentials, to see if you are qualified to carry him or to be his parent. He trusts you completely.

You have no doubt noticed that as a child makes the transition into adulthood, trust is the first thing to go, and it goes gradually. "That’s not fair!!" is one of many exclamations commonly heard as kids get older. Typically, the child is asserting his independence; transferring his trust from you over to himself. He trusts his own judgment about what is right, and what is fair. This is part of becoming an adult, and to some extent, it is a good thing, but let's look at the spiritual application of this principle of trusting your Heavenly Father.

If there is any one predominant theme that runs throughout the bible, it is the idea that we must trust God, as everything that could go right in our lives comes from Him. If Adam and Eve had trusted in God's instructions not to eat of the fruit, they would have stayed in the Garden. When God wanted Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses argued with Him, and even asked Him to choose somebody else. But God’s message throughout this argument is "It's not you, Moses, it's Me. I'll make it happen." If Abraham had trusted God when He said that he and his wife Sarah would have children, he would not have tried to Do Something; that is, he made another woman pregnant with Ishmael, which was never God's intention.

Think about giving. If you give a tithe, you're making a statement that you trust God to make your remaining 90% cover 100% of your needs. Think about resting. If you follow God's example and take one day off per week, you are trusting Him that you will get everything done in 6 days that you need to get done. Since we are commanded to give and we are commanded to rest, we need to be able to trust that He will come through for us when we follow His directives for our lives.

Finally, think about the message of salvation itself. You cannot be good enough to spend eternity in the presence of God, so you have to trust in the blood of Jesus. God wants us to have a child-like trust in Him, that He will always provide for us, that He will cause all things to work together for the good of those who love Him.

To discuss the topic of trust without mentioning its opposite, fear, would be incomplete, to be sure. It has been said that the Number One command in all of the bible is "Fear Not." Younger children have no fear because they trust.


Psalm 56:11
"In God I have put my trust, I shall not be afraid . . . "

God's word makes it clear that you cannot simultaneously have trust in God and have fear in circumstances. It's like asking me to make you some coffee black, with cream and sugar in it. You can't have it both ways.


Fear does not come from God
2 Timothy 1:7
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."


1 John 4:18
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."


Fear = bondage
Romans 8:15
"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."
Hebrews 2:15
"And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."

If fear is synonymous with bondage, then trust must correlate with freedom. If you have problems with fear, then you should pray for the freedom to trust God!


Test
Have you ever been out of work, or had some other financial catastrophe (or potential catastrophe)? Did you pray about it? Or did you worry? When you told friends, did you come across in such a way that you were showing how worried you were, or were you brimming with confidence that the Lord would somehow take care of it? Even worse, did you try and Do Something without praying about it first?


Pride Check
The more we trust Him, the less we trust our own strength and understanding. The enemy would have us think that to place our trust wholeheartedly in Him is a sign of weakness. The world thinks this, but here's what the Word of God says:

Proverbs 3:5
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding“


http://www.middletree.net/trust.asp

Part 3: Children Know Where To Turn When They're Hurting


When a child suffers a cut, he immediately goes to Mommy or Daddy. He doesn't understand the mechanisms that permit a Band-Aid to protect a cut from infection; he doesn't understand the blood clotting that stops the bleeding. He just knows that when he's hurting, his parents will be there for him to make things better.

In December 2000, my father took his own life. As I talked to loved ones over the next few days, leading up to the funeral, everyone I talked to was shocked at first. But the interesting thing was that every person I discussed this with quickly shifted their concern to how this was going to affect my father's wife, his sister, and his mother. All of the people I discussed this with had the same question: How are these ladies going to respond to this painful event?

I would suggest that that is a valid question, not just for these three women, but for everyone who has ever experienced a painful event. How should you respond to pain?

Children demonstrate for us the proper response. We need to run, not walk, to our Daddy for healing. Nowhere in Scripture are we promised that this life will not have pain. When Job lost all that he had at once, his wife told him he should just end his life by cursing God, and get it all over with. However, Job's response is one we all can learn from. He told her that he knew that God is a good God, and he wasn't about to turn away from the One who could heal his hurts. However, it isn't what he said to his wife that should get our attention; rather we should look at what he said to his friend Eliphaz:



Job 23:3
"Oh that I knew where I might find Him [God]"

Job knew that the only thing to do is to find God, the God who had always come through for him, and he was determined to find Him. The book of Job goes on to reveal that Job did, in fact, find God, and he was healed. In fact, his material blessings were restored to him many times over, and he had many more children, and had a long, fulfilling life.

Just as we can learn much from Job's response, we can learn equally from another person whose name is not known to us. She had been dealing with hemorrhaging for 12 years, and she heard that Jesus was nearby. She, like many others, had heard of His ability to heal the sick with just a touch, and she went to find Him. When she did find Jesus, the crowd surrounding him was such that the best this woman could do was to touch one corner of His clothing, but it was enough to heal her completely. When Jesus saw her, He told her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your affliction." (Mark 5:34)

What do Job and this unnamed woman have in common? They both pursued God in order to get healing. There has to be an effort by us to, as Job said, go find Him.

The good news in all this is that He has made many promises which are attached to our seeking Him out. When we say to Him, "Lord, heal my hurts," He will come through for us.

Make no mistake: the phrase "Time heals all wounds" sounds nice, but has no grounds in reality. God heals wounds. If time itself did the trick, there would be no explanation for those who are still bitter and devastated over events which occurred many decades ago. God heals wounds, and He has promised He will do so. The 41st chapter of Isaiah contains perhaps one of the most powerful, and comforting, of these promises:
Isaiah 41:10
“Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

At the funeral, I read the above verse to my father’s loved ones. The difference is, I personalized it for them. I read it this way:

"Do not fear, Theresa, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, Ray, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, Freddie, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you James, with My righteous right hand."

When you are hurting, I strongly urge you to read this verse, and personalize it. Even more important, I encourage you to follow the example set by Job and the woman in the 5th chapter of Mark. Go after Him. He will not be hard to find. He will not hide from you. And He will comfort you, uphold you, and heal you.


Test
When you have been emotionally wounded, have you bottled it up, hoping that time would eventually make the pain go away?


Pride Check
You have no doubt noticed that a child who is hurting has no problem letting the world knowing about it. There is no ego to get in the way, nothing telling the child that he should keep his hurts to himself. The child doesn’t care that others might see him crying. The quickest way to allow the Lord to come in and do His work is to acknowledge our pain. Often, it is a self-centeredness which keeps us from allowing this to happen.


http://www.middletree.net/child_hurt.asp

Part 4: Children are Teachable


Have you ever heard it said that it is easier for a young child than an adult to learn a foreign language? Have you ever noticed that you don’t absorb knowledge as easily as you used to? The fact is that God made children to be teachable. It is vitally important for us to be able to learn things while we are growing, in order to prepare us for adulthood. On a spiritual level, we should always be able to be taught by those whom the Lord has placed in our lives.

Being teachable is difficult for those who have been Christians for a while--this is especially hard on controversial doctrinal issues where we just aren’t willing to hear other views (creation, end times, baptism, etc.).



Psalm. 25:4-5
“Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day”

It takes humility to be teachable; to acknowledge that someone might know more than you. There is often a clash between our pride and our willingness to learn. In Matt 18, we are commanded by Jesus to humble ourselves to be like children. If we have trouble with this issue of being willing to learn from others, we likely have a problem in the area of pride. As mentioned in the introductory chapter, pride is probably the most common, and difficult to overcome, stumbling blocks that a follower of Christ faces.


Test
Let’s say you have taken a position on a controversial theological topic, such as whether or not a person can attain salvation and then lose it. This is always a polarizing topic among believers, and most of us have taken sides and are unwilling to entertain the idea that the other side might just be right. Someone wants to present to you another view. Although you may listen, have you decided beforehand that no matter what he says, you are going to come out of this conversation with the same view you had going into it? Is your only goal in this conversation that you would convince the other guy, and swing him over to your way of thinking?

The key here is not that you are convinced one way or another, but that you are willing to be taught, that your heart is in a place where you admit that you don’t know everything. Typically, newer Christians have little problem in this area. It’s us “seasoned” believers who have become so set in our viewpoints that we are not willing to be taught. Ultimately, God is more concerned with the state of your heart than which side you take on disputed theological topics. Is your heart open enough that you will allow Him to set you straight if needed?


Pride Check
To allow God to use others to teach us means we have to admit we don’t know everything. If we are afraid to let go of theological positions that we have staked ourselves to, we need to ask ourselves what our motives are. Is it because we are sure of what Scripture says about the topic, or is it because we aren’t willing to listen to something that might conflict with what has been entrenched in us?

Think about how difficult it must have been for the first Christians who had been practicing Judaism. Think about the Apostles. Think about Saul/Paul. His pride had made him so unteachable that God had to go to great lengths to get his attention, just so he would listen to the truth of the Gospel.

Is saying this the same as saying that we should take everything we believe away from the solid rock and place it onto sand? Absolutely not. I am saying that if there is a doctrine we are holding onto, we should ask ourselves what our reasoning is, and what our motives are.


http://www.middletree.net/teachable.asp

Part 5: Children Submit to Authority and Rules


As adults, we feel a freedom to do whatever we want based on our own ideas of what’s right. Americans, in particular, take pride in independence and personal choices. Independence, to some extent, is a good thing. However, like many other good ideas, the Enemy can take it and twist its meaning. If you are like me, this leads to difficulty in submitting to those who have authority over you. This is not to suggest that you have an “if it feels good, do it” philosophy. Rather, if you have a hard time owning up to the idea that your boss or your pastor has ideas that you should listen to, especially those which would cause a change in your behavior or the way you think about things, then you might have a problem with submission. Those who have a problem with the “teachable” trait, mentioned in Chapter 4, often have a problem with this one.

Just for fun, play a game, perhaps checkers, with a child and try skirting around the rules. Usually, he or she will argue with you about how “you’re not supposed to do that.” Kids go through a stage, beginning around 2 or 3, where the rules are everything. For several years after that, they have a sense of order in the world, and an understanding that their place in it is one of submission to authority.

Wait a minute, you say. Everyone who has been a parent of a 12-year-old will want to argue about this. You may point out that kids this age tend to begin to believe they are above this parental authority thing. But that is precisely my point. At an age where kids are becoming adults, one of the first things to go is that respect for authority. This is a crystal-clear example of why Jesus said to put aside our pride and return to these childlike qualities.



Scriptural examples of submission

Submit to legal authority
1 Peter 2:13
“Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake . . . “


Submit to your boss's authority
1 Peter 2:18
“Servants, be submissive to your masters . . . “


Submit to your spiritual authorities
1 Peter 5:5 tells newer Christians to “submit yourself to your elders” and then expands that command with an exhortation for all believers: “Yes, all of you be submissive to one another.” This is the central message here. To be truly submissive is to admit that we don’t know everything. Children usually understand this.


Test
Are you resentful toward the police officer as he hands you a ticket?


Pride Check
Do you have a problem acknowledging your boss’s role in determining the direction of your department or company? Do you think he has bad ideas because he has no idea what it’s like to work in the trenches like you do? Do you think you could do better?


http://www.middletree.net/submit_child.asp

Part 6: Children Have a Desire to Grow Up


One of the most common elements in all ways that children play is they put themselves in grown-up roles. Little girls dress up. Boys pretend to be a policeman or fireman. Kids play "school" where one of them gets to be the teacher. While kids recognize that they are kids, there is something inside them wants to be like their parents, older siblings, or other "big people" in their lives.

As Christians, we should never stop growing, and we should never stop desiring to grow. Sadly, some Christians never grow spiritually. Why is this? Take a look at this verse:



1 Peter 2:2
"As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby . . ."

Many believers don’t aspire to have spiritual maturity because they don’t really have the desire for the Word.


Test
Are you satisfied with your spiritual growth? Do you think you’re just fine spiritually, and have no room for improvement? Or do you yearn to be more spiritually mature? Are you pursuing spiritual growth by meditating on God’s Word?


Pride Check
To desire to grow is to admit that we have some growing up to do. To be satisfied with our level of holiness indicates that we see no need for improvement.

The best indicator that our pride is a problem in this area is if we compare ourselves to other, weaker Christians:


Luke 18:10-11,13
“Two men went up into the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer’ . . . But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’”

http://www.middletree.net/growup.asp

Part 7: Children Are Honest


The ability of children to tell it like it is has become the foundation for many a funny story. Kids simply say what they feel, tell it exactly as they see it. This can be embarrassing for the parents sometimes, but that kind of honestly is refreshing.

One of my favorite “I Love Lucy” episodes is about a bet that Lucy makes with Fred, Ethyl, and Ricky. She tells them that for 24 hours, she will go without telling a single lie. It proves to be a much more difficult task than she could have imagined. She had to fight against her every natural instinct. The most difficult lies to avoid were when she had to tell one friend she hated her furniture and another that she disliked her hat. You’d never hear a child put on such pomposity, but we adults do it on a regular basis, in the name of courtesy. While it probably isn’t a good idea to tell our friends that we don’t like their tastes, we can find ways to avoid hurting their feelings.



Where is the spiritual application?
As Christians, we are called to hold each other accountable, not for our taste in furniture, but for our faithfulness to His commands. Holding each other accountable can include telling each other what we don’t want to hear. Conversely, we need to be open to hearing what is said to us in the name of accountability.


Ephesians 4:25
“Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another”


Test
Try imagining these 3 scenarios: (1)Suppose you go into a grocery store and walk onto an aisle, and you run into a friend who is a Christian. You catch him telling someone else an off-color joke. (2)Suppose another Christian friend who owns his own plumbing business comes over to fix your sink, and then he asks you to pay him cash so he doesn’t have to report it on his taxes. (3)A Christian relative asks to borrow some software from you so that he will not have to buy it himself. He plans to install it on his computer, then return the disk to you.

In these scenarios, what do you do? What society tells us and what God’s Word tells us are diametrically opposed to one another. Society tells us that we should leave these friends up to their own convictions, that’s it’s none of our business, that we should not judge them. “Live and let live.”

But here’s what the bible says:
Proverbs 24:24-25
“Whoever says to the guilty, “you are innocent”—peoples will curse him and nations denounce him. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them.”


Pride Check
Accountability works 2 ways. Are you willing to identify a Christian friend who will hold you accountable? You should give him permission up front to ask tough questions, and along with that permission should come a promise that you will not refuse to answer the questions, and that you will always give honest answers.

http://www.middletree.net/honest.asp

Part 8: Children Know the Importance of Playing



When we read passages calling for us to die to ourselves, we often get the mistaken impression that we are not to enjoy life. The thought process goes that we should work hard to support our families, work hard at home to take care of all of our responsibilities, and use up whatever time is left in various ministries. Children seem to understand that although playing may seem fruitless, and may even seem like work, it is a necessary part of life. The definition of playing isn’t so much being involved in a game, or pretending to be an astronaut or competing; it is simply the act of enjoying where you are, and releasing all cares. For kids, it applies when you are intensely vying for a victory in a sport, or simply laughing for no reason.

One song that we sing at my church from time to time contains the following line in the chorus:



”La, la, la, la, la, la. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la”
For the first few years after the introduction of this tune, when we came around to this line, I clammed up. “That’s not worshipping God!,” I would say to myself. But then, one day, our worship leader asked us to close our eyes while singing this part of the song, and imagine ourselves as kids playing in God’s presence. It was then that I got it. I now sing that line when the opportunity comes up. But it took a while; I had to get over my pride. I had to get over the idea that I somehow would look ridiculous if I sang that one line that was so, so . . . . childish.

One truth that is self-evident is that adults generally forget how to play. We are never commanded by God to stop playing. The only one stopping us is us. In fact, God has told us to take time out every week and rest. In the Old Testament, it was referred to as the Sabbath. This is not a matter of whether or not we are under the Law. The point is that God made us in such a way that we need time to not be so serious, to not think about work, to not be stressed; to rest, to play. By “rest” I don’t mean sitting around doing nothing. I mean freeing yourself from those things in life which only bring stress, and do not bring any enjoyment. (Another way to look at “rest” is to be still and be willing to let the Lord hold you. This is covered in the next chapter)

If we are to use the willingness of children to play as a model for us, it stands to reason that we look at the conditions in which they are willing to play. Much to the chagrin of my mother, I was one of the 99% of kids who didn’t mind playing in the rain.

Rain has often been used as a metaphor for trouble in our lives. Certainly, biblical accounts involving real rain have been used to illustrate spiritual principles.

Look at Luke 8:24, which starts out: “and they came to Him and woke Him up, saying . . . “

When Jesus was sleeping on the boat, a storm came, and the apostles woke Him out of fear. They knew when they feared something, they should run to Him. This seems like a sound response, doesn’t it? There is nothing wrong to looking to God when times get tough. And in fact, He came through for them. When they woke Him, He calmed the sea, just as they hoped he would.

However, what He did next surprised them: He chastised them for lack of faith. The problem wasn’t that they woke him up, but that they were afraid. Fear is not of God. Fear of circumstances means we are focused on the circumstances instead of Him. It means that, deep down, we have a belief that the storms are bigger than what He can handle.

A better reaction would have been to look at this storm as an opportunity for God to be glorified. If they would have had that mindset, and then gone to Jesus to wake Him, He would not have admonished them. He never complained that they woke Him up; He complained that they had no faith.


Test
When catastrophe strikes, do you immediately look to your circumstances, and let fear take over? Or do you confidently go before Him, and pray that He would get the glory for calming the storm?


Pride Check
Are you to embarrassed to raise your hands up to God (as a child who wants to be scooped up by an adult)? Do you see some Christians dancing before the Lord, and feel awkward just being around them?


Big Mud Puddles and Sunny Yellow Dandelions--Author Unknown


When I look at a patch of dandelions, I see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over my yard.

My kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish on.

When I look at an old drunk and he smiles at me, I see a smelly, dirty person who probably wants money and I look away.

My kids see someone smiling at them and they smile back.

When I hear music I love, I know I can't carry a tune and don't have much rhythm so I sit self-consciously and listen.

My kids feel the beat and move to it. They sing out the words. If they don't know them, they make up their own.

When I feel wind on my face, I brace myself against it. I feel it messing up my hair and pulling me back when I walk.

My kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it, until they fall to the ground laughing.

When I pray, I say thee and thou and grant me this, give me that.

My kids say, "Hi God! Thanks for my toys and my friends. Please keep the bad dreams away tonight. Sorry, I don't want to go to Heaven yet. I would miss my Mommy and Daddy."

When I see a mud puddle I step around it. I see muddy shoes and dirty carpets.

My kids sit in it. They see dams to build, rivers to cross, and worms to play with.

I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from? No wonder God loves the little children!

Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

I wish you Big Mud Puddles and Sunny Yellow Dandelions!!!




http://www.middletree.net/play.asp

Part 9: Children Rest on Their Father's Shoulder


I love the fact that my kids have gotten old enough to snuggle with me while I'm standing. You know the scene: a kid is being held by his mother. His head rests on her shoulder, and everything is right with the world, as far as he is concerned. Most likely, you have seen a child in the same position, being held by his mom or dad. If you have kids, it is hard to imagine that you haven’t held your child the same way.

The position is like this: The head is on one shoulder, and the arms are around the parent. One arm is over one of the adult’s shoulders. The toddler is both embracing his mom, and resting on her.

I am too old to remember being in the same position as a child, but I am sure I found myself there many times. It seems obvious that the child likes the way it feels; he feels both secure and loved at the same time. As a parent, I can attest to the fact that it is a great feeling for the adult for the same reason.

On a spiritual level, God wants us to rest on His shoulders as much as you want your kids to do the same. Just as important is the truth that you and I have a need to embrace Him in this way; we need to do this every bit as much as He needs us to do it.



Matthew 23:37
" . . . How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings . . . "


Test
When you are overwhelmed by life, do you try and fix everything yourself, or do you allow Him to take the yoke off your shoulders?


Pride check
Our society values and rewards independence. The most successful Americans seem to be those who work long hours, take huge risks, and by doing so, expose themselves to all kind of attacks and lies of the enemy. By openly admitting that we need to be dependent on God, not independent, we may lower our stature in the eyes of the world, but we put ourselves in a position to be all that God has called us to be.


http://www.middletree.net/rest.asp