Characteristics of Childlike Faith: Be Like Jesus
Having characteristics of childlike faith is pretty rare. Before I delve into this topic, keep in mind there’s a huge difference between childish and childlike faith.
To define childlike faith means you’re content because you trust God. You aren’t anxious or fret about everything that goes wrong. You have a childlike approach to life when living in a grown-up body but don’t respond childishly because you have a mature mind.
I Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I talked like a child. I thought like a child. I had the understanding of a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me (NIRV).
Only recently when reading scripture did I realize that Jesus was/is childlike. I never saw Him that way.
Matthew 18:1–5
At that time the disciples came up and asked Jesus, Who then is [really] the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them, And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving], you can never enter the kingdom of heaven [at all].
Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child [trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving] is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives and accepts and welcomes one little child like this for My sake and in My name receives and accepts and welcomes Me (AMPC).
The disciples already followed Jesus as Lord but He wanted them to go higher in the kingdom of heaven also called the kingdom of God. For God’s kingdom to reign in your heart, you seek kingdom ways. And having humility helps, which according to the Strong’s Accordance is “An inside-out virtue produced by comparing ourselves to the Lord rather than others.”
Characteristics of Childlike Faith
If you spend time with children, it’s easy to see their childlike faith when they play with friends and toys or complete tasks for their parents. Here are some traits of a healthy child.
- Forgive easily
- Don’t hold grudges
- Full of love
- Laugh
- They aren’t cynical or skeptical
- Worry-free and carefree
- They aren’t full of doubt
- Innocent
- Express what they feel
- Uncomplicated
- Unlimited energy
- Eager to learn new things
- Marvel at creation (butterflies, bullfrogs, tadpoles, flowers)
- Imaginative
- Creative
- Playful
- Dream big dreams
- Dance
Apply those qualities to your Christian faith. How did you fare? My eyes opened wide because I have a few characteristics but not many.
Jesus has childlike faith because He doesn’t lose His awe, wonder, and hope for humanity like adults sometimes do when life takes too many swipes. Likewise, all of the above characteristics of childlike faith describe the Jesus I know.
Possess the Characteristics of Childlike Faith Into Your Adult Years
Do these things.
- Believe The Word of God as it’s written, don’t complicate it. Because scripture is alive and speaks to your heart, God can use the same scripture to reveal many truths. One day you read the same scripture you’ve read for years and see it differently. That’s because God reveals an aspect of truth exactly when you need it.
- Simplify prayer. Here’s how kids pray. “God, take care of my cat, mommy and daddy, and me. Here are other examples from Beliefnet.com. “Thank you, God, for my baby brother but I prayed for a puppy.” “Dear God, I want to be just like Daddy when I grow up but with not so much hair.” “God, I went to a wedding and they were kissing right there in church. Is that okay?”
- Don’t let reasoning take over your spirit. Many times an exciting God idea comes to me. Before long, I think it away. A childlike approach to all of life’s challenges opens the door to new opportunities.
- Let your faith be real. There’s no pretense with God. I love that about Him. He not only knows our thoughts but sees how we respond in situations. Do your thoughts and actions match? Is your faith life the same whether you grocery shop in public, vacuum floors or change your car’s oil filter?
- Keep your heart pure. My prayers have changed over the years. They went from “change them Lord” to “change me.” I very seldom pray for stuff but for more of God, to become more like Jesus. I must keep renewing my heart daily to stay pure by keeping my eyes fixed on the Lord.
Characteristics of Childlike Faith Includes Trust
It’s part of a child’s nature to ask questions because they’re truth searchers. Children don’t have ulterior motives, they just want answers sooner not later. They trust that parents or another adult can explain how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, why a rainbow has colors, or why cotton candy is so sticky.
You can turn to God and trust Him for answers to life’s problems. Be who you are because He knows you better than anyone. You may have to train yourself to put away doubt and worry, stop to investigate the veins on a leaf, or imagine what it’s like to soar in the skies like a bird.
The most carefree times in my life were caring for pet chickens, swinging from a weeping willow tree, and running barefoot through the sand. Then, I didn’t fear snakes, played hide and seek in the dark, and didn’t let a fence get in my way to reach the other side.
As an adult, worries and fears became tag-team players in my mind. Looking back, I realize age has nothing to do with being childlike. The more I give God my problems, the more lighthearted I become. As long as I believe that God is with me through every circumstance, I can rest easy and be content.
Above all else that God is, He is stable and trustworthy. If I fall, He’s there to catch me. I want to delight purely in His creation without restraint.
If anyone tells me I have childlike faith, it’s the highest compliment I’ll ever receive—to be like Jesus.