When Jesus spoke about faith, He didn’t point to theologians, scholars, or spiritual elites as the model. Instead, He pointed to children.

In Matthew 18:3, Jesus says:

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

That statement can feel surprising!

• Children are inexperienced.
• They don’t have life figured out.
• They ask lots of questions and make mistakes.
• Ask for things like money

Yet Jesus says this is the posture we need to approach God.

What does Jesus mean?

Childlike Faith Is About Trust

Jesus is not calling us to be naïve or ignorant. He is calling us to trust.

• Children trust instinctively.
• They don’t question whether a parent will catch them when they jump.
• They act because they know who is holding them.

Childlike faith says:

• “God, I don’t understand everything, but I trust You.”
• “I don’t see the whole picture, but I believe You’re good.”

Contrast that with how adults often approach faith:

• We want guarantees.
• We want explanations.
• We want control.

With requires surrender.

Proverbs 3:5 reminds us:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”

• Children lean fully.
• Adults analyze and want explanation or proof
• Jesus invites us back into full reliance.

Childlike Faith Is About Dependence

Children know they need help. They ask for it freely. They don’t apologize for being needy.

Somewhere along the way, we learned to value independence over dependence. We feel pressure to “have it together” before coming to God. But Scripture consistently tells us the opposite.

In Mark 10:14, Jesus says:

“Let the little children come to me… for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Children come as they are:

• Messy
• Angry
• Happy
• Honest
• Smelly

They don’t clean themselves up first. They don’t make themselves “right.” They know that their parents will clean them up

Childlike faith looks like:

• Praying first instead of last
• Asking God for help without shame
• Coming as we are – sinners
• God is not impressed by our self-sufficiency!
• He delights in our dependence.

Childlike Faith Is About Honesty

Children don’t pretend. If they’re sad, you know it. If they’re excited, you definitely know it. If they don’t understand something, they ask—sometimes repeatedly. Got already knows our hearts, so just bring everything to Him! Faith doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine, it means trusting God with what’s real.

Childlike Faith Is Being Quick to Forgive and Believe Again

Watch children after an argument. One moment they’re upset, and the next moment they’re playing again. They don’t keep score. Adults on the other hand tend to protect themselves by putting up walls, while children trust and forgive. Childlike faith chooses grace. This doesn’t mean ignoring wisdom or boundaries or letting people run over you, but it does mean refusing to let bitterness define us.

Childlike Faith Lives With Expectation and Hope

Children expect good things.

• They believe birthdays will be celebrated.

• They believe promises will be kept.

• They believe tomorrow holds joy.

Somewhere along life’s disappointments, adults trade expectation for caution. Childlike faith dares us to believe that God still moves, prayer still matters, and miracles – big or small – are still possible.

Image by Leo Rivas via Unsplash.com