I often heard that once a father I would understand God’s heart for his people on a whole new level. That is true. However, what I didn’t hear as much is how many things that my child would (unintentionally) teach me about living a life of Christian faith. Here are 2 examples…
1. Ask “WHY” a lot
Kids question everything because they are hungry to understand WHY people do the things they do.
Too many Christians live with too small a vision for WHY they do the things they do. This is sad because the Bible provides vision for WHY everything matters and WHY we should engage in the world today.
I once heard a man say “Those who know HOW will always follow those who know WHY.” If you’re like me, this line caused you to make some kind of audible noise in agreement. Christians (should) have the most compelling answers for WHY, and naturally lead the way for those who know HOW.
We must never get so caught in the practicality of life that we fail to be compelled by underlying Christian vision. God gives meaning to every area of life and provides real purpose for why we get up in the morning. Are you driven by it?
2. Use Your Imagination
Kids entertain themselves for hours simply by imagining a different world. I love to watch my daughter in these moments, and it’s a blast to enter that imaginary place with her.
The use of imagination was never meant to stop after childhood, but oftentimes “growing up” means quitting all the pretending and getting serious about life.
Christianity calls for people to imagine how life could be different if touched by the redeeming power of Jesus. We don’t just look forward to a New Heaven and New Earth one day in the future. Rather, the future hope of completely restored life floods our imaginations for how redemption breaks into the present world NOW.
“What does redemption look like in ________?” It’s not just a nice mental exercise, but the precursor, the imaginative work, that drives our action in the world.
Let us clear out the cobwebs of our imaginations and dream again, like kids do so well. And let us continue to ask WHY, searching for those answers in God’s story of redemption. Perhaps this is partly what it means to live with child-like faith.
Vision + Imagination + Action = #LiveFully
What else have you learned from kids?
