Simple Truth
“Oh how I want this to be the desire of my heart as well. How I want to beg God to ask anything of me—small, mundane, simple tasks. And how I want to desire to obey Him in these things.”
“He called a small child and had him stand among them. ‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child—this one is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’” (Matthew 18:2-4 CSB)
My son, Parker, continues to teach me more about my faith than almost anything else in life. I’ve shared this before, but becoming a mama altered me. It opened my eyes to our Father’s love for us in a way I didn’t grasp before. I still don’t grasp it. Hearing Parker’s prayers each night have not only made me ugly cry, but they’ve also challenged me and convicted me. They’ve pointed out where I’ve grown up a little too much in my own faith and reminded me to come to the Lord like a child.
I want to share two parts of Parker’s most recent prayers with you guys.
“…and God, if you have something for me to do, will you just tell me? And I’ll do it.”
Those were Parker’s words at the end of his prayer several nights in a row. For weeks, Parker had been asking God to tell him what to do. But then he emphatically added, “and I’ll do it.” He prays this same thing at the alter every Sunday. On this night, I joined him and begged God to give Parker a small task. And the next day, God did. I then watched as Parker did exactly what he felt like God was telling him to do. It wasn’t huge. It wasn’t spectacular. But it was beautiful obedience.
Gut. Punch. How often do I beg God to just give me something to do? How often do I faithfully do it? Nope. Too often, I only pray for my needs and for the needs of others. And if God does give me a task, I pull a Moses at the burning bush and tell Him all the reasons I’m not fit for the job or why someone else would be a better choice. But my little boy doesn’t think this way. Parker’s line of thought is simple: I want God to tell me what to do. And I want to do it.
Oh how I want this to be the desire of my heart as well. How I want to beg God to ask anything of me—small, mundane, simple tasks. And how I want to desire to obey Him in these things.
I want to share one more prayer moment from my boy that also convicted me.
“And God, thank you that You’re good, and You’re kind. And thank You for loving us.”
For all God is—holy, righteous, just—possibly the sweetest truth I need to always remember is He is good and kind. His goodness and loving kindness are intertwined with His holiness. Parker may not understand God’s holiness yet, but he knows God is good. He knows God is kind.
We walk through some ugly, painful situations in life. We feel the weight of death and disappointment and divorce and cancer, and we begin to sometimes lose sight of God’s goodness and kindness. Because in the midst of these things, if we’re honest, God doesn’t feel kind. These circumstances aren’t good in any way. Parker has already walked through some difficult things as well—deaths and sickness. But he is centered on one thing: God’s character doesn’t change.
Whew. I want to remember this. Always.
Thank you, Lord, that You’re willing to use us. Thank You for Your goodness and kindness. And thank You for using a child’s simple prayer to remind me of who I am and who You are.