I have learned more about faith since becoming a parent than I probably learned in all the years combined before kids. Can you relate?
God somehow uses parenting to teach us things, doesn’t He?
Last week, I shared the first post in a series about what my kids have taught me about faith. Read on for the second post in this series!
What My Kids Taught Me About Faith, Part 2:
When my oldest son was two, a massive EF5 tornado destroyed a town not too far from my home. Because we were so close to the destruction, my husband and I were very involved in the clean up.
And because we were involved, our son saw a lot of the damage too. (Looking back now, I think we might have over-exposed him, but that’s another post for another day.)
Ever since that time, he has been obsessed with tornadoes.
One of his favorite books for about a year after the storm was his weather book. He loved learning about storms and watching the “wetter radar,” as he called it.
I remember one time, a few weeks after the tornado, a thunderstorm rumbled outside our house.
My son was afraid, so he made a storm shelter on the bedroom floor, complete with toys, pillows, and blankets. He buried himself under the clutter and called to me, “Come sit by me, Mommy. You keep me safe from the storm.”
As I crawled under the mess, he put my arm around him.
The thunder continued to boom outside, the rain continued to fall, but he smiled. His fear was gone.
Everything was right in his world, all because his mommy held him.
What I wouldn’t give to have that kind of trust again—to really believe with all of my being that because my Father is holding me, I’ll be okay.
Unfortunately, when the storms rage in my life, I tend to lack this childlike trust. Instead of clinging to God in the storm and trusting his strong arm to protect me, I rely on my own strength.
Though I would never say it aloud, my actions speak for me:
“I don’t really trust You to keep me safe. I don’t really trust You to make everything okay in my world.”
With my son, once I put my arm around him, he forgot his fears and started playing again. With me, even when God’s arms are wrapped around my shoulders, I still shake with fear.
Last week, I shared Mark 10:14-15, the verse in which Jesus challenged his followers to become like children.
I wrote about transparency, the first of several childlike qualities Jesus wants us to obtain.
The second quality is equally important: trust.
When Jesus told his followers to become like children, he wanted them to trust him just like children trust their parents…to trust that even when the storms rage, His arms are there to keep them safe from the storm.
He might not stop the storm…but he will be with us through it.
As I wrote about in Unbeaten….
Just because you can’t see God doesn’t mean He’s not there.
Stay tuned to Part 3 next week!
