Child-like Faith

Read 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

It's like this: when I was a child I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I became a man my thoughts grew far beyond those of my childhood, and now I have put away the childish things. 1 Corinthians 13:11 (TLB)

"Who do you want to be when you grow up?" Dori H. Gorman's father asked her that question throughout her childhood. Her six-year-old self responded, "I want to be a veterinarian." "No," her dad would say. "That's what you want to do. I asked, 'Who do you want to be?' " As a child, Dori equated having a particular job with who she would become. Now she understands how those things are different.

Reflecting on this made her think of other "childish ways." Has she put them behind her? Is her identity rooted in a title or a position. Does she long for notoriety? Does she still throw tantrums? God wants all of us to come to Jesus with childlike faith, but that's different from childish faith.

Recently Dori met a six-year-old boy, Aiden. Following in the footsteps of her dad, Dori asked Aiden, "Who do you want to be when you grow up?" He replied, "I want to be a man." His response was childlike but not childish. It was said with the innocence of a child who simply wants to grow and mature - to become the person God created him to be. Aiden's answer reminds us all that rather than focusing on what we do or how we can make a name for ourselves, we can focus on becoming who God has created us to be.

Prayer: Dear Lord, give us a faith that is childlike but not childish. Help us to become the persons you created us to be, in Jesus' name. Amen.