It’s About Faith

Unbelievably I have completed this college journey. Last Friday marked my final day of practicum. 🥳🥳🥳🥳

If I have provided all the documentation, then I should, in due time, be informed that I have graduated and can apply for my Early Childhood Educator 1 year licence. In the meantime my ECEA (assistant) licence has been approved! 

Thank you Lord for seeing me across the finish line. Or is this the finish line? I have a feeling that things have only just begun. Is this good? Is this bad? Who knows. 

This bumpy journey has left a tell tale bruise upon my left ankle.  No, don’t worry, Andrew hasn’t been kicking me in the shins. It was an aggresive child. But I have lived to tell about it. And so has the child. That’s the main thing, right!? I will spare you the details. 

Let me assure you that children are not all so sweet and  innocent or anywhere near obedient. Their lack of knowledge and awareness leads them to believe that the world should revolve around them, everything should be theirs, and when they don’t get their way they can be an agonising handful. 

Yes, this is the career for me! 🥳 Did I pray for patience or something? 🤔 Boy is it time for a tea break. 

So, if children aren’t the image of pure delight and innocence. What DID Jesus mean when he said that we must become like little children to enter the Kingdom of God? What did He mean when He told His followers that they must humble themselves like little children? 

There are many answers to this question out there. However, my favourite by far was found on a Quora post. This answer was posted by a Retired ECE who worked with children for 35 years. Here’s what Jennifer Nyffeler had to share about children, God and what she believes Jesus was speaking about:  

1 Corinthians 8:2 “Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know.” In other words, anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much.

A child knows nothing about the world, including right and wrong. They come into this world egocentric… meaning, they know nothing about everything, but a whole bunch about their own needs, and will cry or reach out for anything they think will satisfy them.

It is interesting as scripture reiterates that even adults who think they know a lot still don’t know much. Which is understandable, as the knowledge that many people have picked up along the way often gets in the way of having a simple trust in an invisible God.

So, it may be that the less we know the more we can trust and be like children.

Additionally, children are open and honest about what they see, hear and feel. They have no pretence. Unless they have already been violated, children willingly come running to you when called. They trust, or mistrust, easily. And when they mistrust due to being harmed, it takes a love as big as God’s to win them over.

As they are easily swayed and vulnerable… their future lives are deeply affected when violated. Which is why they are often compared to little lambs… and why it is said in scripture that if anyone were to harm/violate one of them, that it would be better if a millstone were tied around their neck and then be dropped into the sea.

We are sinners. All. But when God looks down on us He doesn’t see sinners… He sees the people He created and loves who are enslaved by sin, and who He wants to set free from it. He does not slap us around for our sin… on the contrary, He is a good Father who gave us the greatest gift so as to set us free from it.

So the thing is, that no matter how bad we’ve been, God just wants to scoop us up and tell us that everything will be ok, just like a good Father would do. As any punishment for sin has been taken care of a long time ago… so He is only interested in loving discipline when necessary, but mostly a deep and abiding relationship with us.

A Father-child kind of relationship where we learn to trust Him, hear His voice, and then obey the Good Shepherd … because it is only then that we can be set free from sin and be transformed into the likeness of His Son.

I’ve heard it said that, “There is no sin so deep, that God’s love and grace is not deeper still.”

Romans 5:20 says that even though sin is powerful, it is never as powerful as God. When we come to God, He is more than able to heal and forgive any sin that comes along with us. And then He patiently works in our hearts to bring about His will in our lives.

So, when we come to God we don’t have to know anything… just like a little child. All we need to do is to reach out and trust Him “just enough”… even just a little tiny mustard seed size faith is more than enough for our Heavenly Father to respond

Jennifer Nyffeler