Child Like Faith: Asking

It has long been said that to enter the kingdom of Christ you must have child like faith (Matthew 18: look after post for text), but what does that mean? A few days ago, on my 20th birthday, I was thinking about faith. I was thinking about what it means to be like a child and if I could still have this illusive and much needed faith type. "Child-Like Faith" is interesting to me right now, and it begs more of my time than just one post, so all comments are fair game for next post. Also I just found an example of the view of Child Like Faith I am considering over at http://www.jonsplace.org.

A child walks into a field; he sees the moon cresting over the distant trees. The boy points to the big white ball and smiles real big. "Daddy, Daddy what is that?" he asks, now jumping up and down, earnestly waiting his father to answer. "The moon, son, it's the moon." The boy looks out at the white dot and says "moon", never questioning the ramifications of such a name, or the possibility of it as a lie.

In the tale I crafted the boy seeks an answer from his "all knowing" father. In Matthew 7:7 (look after post for text) we are told to seek our answers from God, much like the little boy did with his father, and though Christians ask God to help with things do we really expect him to help?

I hear stories from my Christian friends fighting temptation. No matter how hard they fight the temptation they keep failing. They look on the internet for ways to stop the temptation, for the "five steps to the pure and healthy life every Christian should live". They pace down the isles at their local book stores for "ten simple recipes that won't make you fat but will fill you up", or "101 ways to keep a clean love life" but how often do they fall on their knees and in cry out for help? I tell the same stories, for we all have these temptations, and who desire God's help first. We will relay on the wisdom of man before we will rely on the wisdom of the Lord. Though we are struck with confusion, much like the little boy is struck with awe, we don't ask the Father to clarify, we do not have the faith to say "God help me?" But is it just a cry God wants?

I have now painted a grim picture of Christianity. I have made Christians into people who only turn to God when He is the last door left unopened. This picture is rather strong, and in some ways incomplete. They're some Christians who would say I have lied about my brothers by saying such things as sated above, but I would like to ask such people this: when you pray for help before you have no other option do you listen? If so comment, tell me how you keep such focus on Christ I would love to know, but if you don't, why?

Last week when I was homeless my friends and I went dumpster diving. It was the first night, and in the spirit of gathering cardboard boxes we set off. It was a rather non-productive trip, filled with jokes about eating the food we found in a Subway dumpster. On the way back to the chapel (where we slept) one of my friends decided to play ding-dong-ditch. It was rather funny watching a grown man of twenty-two run up to a flat and ring the door bell and than sprint back to the cover a near by bridge lent us. I think this is how most Christians are with God. We ring the door bell and than before the ringing is done we run off and try to solve the problem. We tell God something is up, but than we run off into the night to solve the problem. Instead we should be like the child for the child does not doubt his dad's assertion but we doubt God's. The kid is told "this is how it is" and takes it as such, but when God tries to tell us how things are, we run off into the night, yelling at the moon creating our own names for it. And the father shakes his head.

Next I want to talk about "Why we don't trust our parents anymore and how this effects our Child-Like Faith" but until than... a quote.

Quote:

JD: "Who decides these ranking things anyways, next time they want to rank something they should ask me?"

ME: "What about the world biggest penis?"

-Chase

Matthew 7:7-12

7: "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

8: For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

9: Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

10:Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11: If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

12: Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 18:1-5

1: At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"

2: Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,

3: and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

4: Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

5: Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.