How to Cultivate a Childlike Faith

As part of my professional role as Director of Children and Family Ministry at my church, I have the privilege of leading chapel for our preschoolers. Every month, children as young as two gather on the lawn to hear a story about the Bible and learn about God.

Preparing these brief talks is always a bit challenging as I consider how to simplify a Bible story without being simplistic, keeping the developmental level of my young audience in mind. I ask myself: What is this story really telling us about God? How can I relate this truth to their young lives?

When I read the gospels, I am often amazed at how skilled Jesus is at teaching. He imparted great truths in short stories called parables. He used common metaphors, often from nature, that people from all walks of life could relate to. He sometimes answered questions with questions, challenging old ways of thinking. He modeled what he wanted his followers to do.

One way that I try to make preschool chapel understandable and memorable is to use something real and concrete to illustrate a point, like how I brought sardines with me when I shared how Jesus fed the five thousand. Jesus also made a point this way once, in response to a very telling question from his disciples:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
(Matt. 18:1-4, NRSV)

The disciples, by virtue of their question, wanted to be the greatest. They wanted power and prestige. Jesus’ response was to call over a little child—real and concrete—to help him make his point. The answer to this question was important enough that it needed to be understandable and memorable.

He brought a child to their midst, someone with no rights, no autonomy, no power, and no prestige. Then he told his disciples to change and become like this child, if they wanted to enter the kingdom of heaven.

In the upside-down way of Jesus, it is the humble who are great. Notably, Jesus didn’t criticize their desire for greatness. He didn’t chastise them for their ambition. He did, however, flip the script for how to achieve greatness.

First, they needed to change, or to turn, as some translations put it. The disciples are not headed down the path that leads to the kingdom of heaven; they are on the path that they believe will lead them to success, personal gain, prosperity, and power. The Jews believed that the Messiah would be the one to save them from political oppression, to overthrow Rome and establish an earthly reign. The disciples may have expected to share in that victory and rise to power alongside Jesus.

It bears the question: What path are we walking? Have we oriented our lives around attaining the world’s definition of success and wealth? Do our values align with those of Jesus, and if not, where might we need to correct our course?

Jesus challenged the disciples’ expectations by telling them to turn away from that path, to change and become like little children. What does this mean, practically speaking? And how can we put into practice his words today?

In the weeks ahead, we’ll explore five key attributes of a childlike faith. They are:

Each week, you can expect a short deep-dive into one of these attributes. At the end of each reflection, I’ll leave you with a question to ponder. If you’d like to jump right in and read them at your own pace, download the free Cultivating a Childlike Faith 5-Day Devotional available to subscribers. Once you enter your email address below, I’ll send you a password to access the devotional on my freebies page.

It was a blessing for me to put together, and I pray it’s a blessing to you too!