The faith of a child

The other day I was looking through a couple old papers and such of mine, and came upon a couple of the very first songs I had ever written. The chorus of one really caught my eye. It goes as follows...

I'll trust you Lord in all your ways,
Even when I've had a hard day.
You'll always be by my side.
I'll love you Lord with all my heart,
As you have me from the very start.
Jesus, you're my God.

The words are simple, yet they ring so true.
I need to trust the Lord, because he will always be with me, no matter what I do. And he has loved me even before this world began... Shouldn't that inspire me to love the Lord with all my heart, soul and strength?

And yet so many days it doesn't.

And not because of HIM. Because of ME. I want to do things on my own. I think I can do things on my own. "I do not need a sovereign and all powerful God to help me." I tell myself. Going through life isn't THAT big of a deal. Oh but it is. There are times that I can get along ok. But there is something missing. Because God did not intend for us to live life "ok". He wants us to live life to it's fullest! He has an AMAZING plan for our lives, we just need to ask Him to help us.

As I was pondering this, a certain analogy formed in my mind. It's like a master builder who owns a piece of land, on which he wants to build a house for his child. This land has amazing potential, and the builder can hardly wait to take his time to build this house, because of how much he loves his child. He gathers all his materials on the work site and starts slowly, carefully building the foundation. The child watches the father eagerly and is quite happy and content. As the child starts looking at the bricks however, he thinks to himself, "Hmm, I could do this just as easily." And so, off to the side starts to build his own little playhouse. Now as the child is using the materials, the builder has to stop his work. He asks the child to be patient and trust him, let him do the building. But the child ignores him and keeps on working. After a while, a structure, somewhat resembling a shack, has been built. The builder reasons with his child, saying that he has much better in store for him. However, the child is content and says that he is much happier living in his shack, no need for the house. The child continues to grow and is somewhat happy but never fully satisfied. However, he won't allow himself to think about the house that could have been his. And when his father calls (which is often) and the child happens to answer, he assures the father that he is quite happy as he is. And so he lives, lying to himself that he is fine, even when the rain leaks in, and the bugs won't stay away. And all this time, the master builder still wants to build this amazing house for his child.

This probably sums up my life really well. I want to build my own life and heart, and no matter what problems arise, stick with it. But God has shown me that he has amazing plans in store for my life! I need to trust in Him and wait, watching as my life and heart grow into what God has meant for them to be.

It seems so easy when you are younger to fully trust God, simply because he is God. But as things change you want to do them on your own. But it always works far better the other way.

Jesus says in the bible, "Let the little children come unto me, and do not forbid them, for such is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 19:14)

And even tonight, this verse struck me. I need to strive towards having the faith of a child. The faith of one who trusts her father, simply because he is her father. Though it it isn't an easy task, I have a master builder to help me.

I pray that God will continue to work in you, as he is in me.

Caroline Ann

P.S.
I am planning and working on putting that chorus into a song, I will post it when I am done.

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