Year 26: Jesus, Childlike Faith, and Watercolors

“ Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

-Luke 18:17 

Childlike Faith is something that I’ve felt God nudging me with for a couple of months now. I have always had little ones in my life from my little sisters, watching nieces and nephews grow up, and now living with a family who has a 6 month old baby. While I was home this winter I felt some of the biggest lessons God was putting on my heart came to light through children.

1. Quick to Forgive 

• There would be times that my nephew would get in trouble for something and act like he was mad at me or my mom. Not even two minutes later he would say, “Grandma, I love you.” How would our lives be different if we were able to forgive as quickly as a three year old does? There are plenty of verses in scripture that tell us to forgive others, but as we grow older that becomes increasingly harder. 

2. Curious about everything

• My nephew LOVES to ask questions! Some were easy for me to answer like “ Where do Pecans come from?” While other questions like, “What is electricity?” I had no idea how to answer for a three year old. No matter what the question was he was not shy to ask it and WAIT for my answer. How would our relationship with Jesus grow if we asked him every question that came to our mind or heart and, more importantly, WAITED for his answer?  

3. Blunt with their thoughts and feelings 

• Toddlers are known for “Terrible Twos” and my niece and nephew are no exceptions. Throughout the day they would show a range of emotions that could change at the snap of your fingers. No matter what they were feeling, they weren’t afraid to show that. How much more intimate would our relationship with Jesus be if we were this blunt and honest with him? I tend to try and hide my emotions from friends, family and Jesus so much that they sometimes build up over days and weeks before I am open and honest. 

4. Joyful in the little things

• My niece is one of the most joyful little souls I have ever known! I loved getting to experience little joys throughout my days through her eyes. Whether it was kicking a ball around, jumping on the trampoline, or hearing her laugh at the small dip we did while I danced with her in my arms, all of these things brought a smile to her face. As we get older the World seems to move a lot faster and we forget to “stop and smell the flowers”. How much more joy could we find in our lives if we stopped to appreciate the little things and the God who made them? 

5. Running into the arms of those that love them 

• NOTHING can brighten my day like a warm, gentle, embrace from a child. When they RUN into my arms, then wrap their little arms around my neck as we count,     “ 1,2,3… SQUEEZZZEEE!” They know that I love them. They know that I want to take care of them, I want to make them laugh, to teach them new things, to comfort them when they’re sad or scared and they don’t question any of this, they accept it wholeheartedly. So why is it sometimes hard for us to see our Heavenly Father this way? Why do we question if he loves us? Or if he sees us? Or If he wants to make us feel safe and loved? What would our relationship with our Father in Heaven look like if we didn’t question this, and instead, desired and opened our hearts to feel his embrace everyday? What if we RAN into his arms no matter the circumstances?

A couple of weeks ago I turned 26. The week leading up to my birthday I told God that all I wanted was ONE SUNFLOWER. It didn’t matter if it was an actual flower, if it was on a card or even an emoji, I would gladly accept any of those options. Sunflowers bring me joy and they make my heart feel brighter with their yellow petals. As God does, he listened to this small desire I had and made it happen through my best friend, Rachel.

Rachel knows that I love sunflowers and that I like to paint every now and then. So, the morning of my birthday I opened a gift she sent me and inside was a watercolor set with pre-made drawings. Rachel made sure the artist put some sunflower drawings in for me! I am not too familiar with watercolors but know some basics like if you put too much water the colors may run and mix together. For someone who is a perfectionist like me, painting in this medium can be a tad stressful. As I read the little instruction slips one part stuck out. “If you are helping a child, remind them that it’s okay to paint any way they choose and they are not required to stay in the lines, only to have fun.” I realized that this set was probably made for little kids to paint and I couldn’t be happier about it! 

In my quiet time with God since my birthday I’ve processed these lessons from home with him and decided that for me Year 26 is going to be all about stepping into “Childlike Faith”. I feel like God is calling me back to the basics. To a time where I can find JOY in the simple things and become CURIOUS again. I want to work on FORGIVING others and myself more quickly. I want to grow in coming to God with ALL OF MY EMOTIONS and letting him process those with me. Most importantly, and the thing that I think will be the most challenging for me is learning to RUN into the arms of my heavenly Father for a loving embrace without question. I want to grow in learning and accepting what my Identity is in Christ as his beloved daughter. 

How exactly do I plan on learning and growing in all of this this year? Well, that I don’t exactly know, but isn’t that the beauty of being a kid?! They get to learn from their surroundings. They get to ask questions, make mistakes, paint outside the lines and find what works best for them. So that’s my plan. I want to learn something new everyday, practice things, ask questions, surround myself with a good community, make mistakes and find my own identity.

To start, I think I’ll try painting with watercolors.