Like a Child

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is God's child, and whoever loves the Father also loves the Father's children.2 This is how we know we love God's children: when we love God and obey his commands.3 Loving God means obeying his commands. And God's commands are not too hard for us,4 because everyone who is a child of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world—our faith.

1 John 5:1-4

A much respected elder and friend posed the question, "If the heart of christianity is relationship with our Father and with the family members of the household of God, is bigger and more complex really the goal?" As I thought through the implications, I realized that I keep missing the heart of my faith. I keep failing. I keep forgetting. I keep grasping after so much trying to fulfill my role and function. I keep trying to create something better than those who came before me. And I realize how much more complex the system becomes. Do I refuse to believe that Christianity is simple and satisfying? How do I miss the heart of my faith, the relationship I have with my Abba Father, and his other children? And then it hit me. In my efforts to satisfy the cravings of a black hole within me, I have made the profound mistake common to none other than a little child--a child who forgets who he really is. It is these little boys whom the Father seeks with His grace and love. The truth is, I am nonetheless a precious child of my heavenly, Abba, Father, who loves me with an undeniable, unending, deeply-satisfying love. I am a member of His beloved Family. I have brothers and sisters who easily run astray, just like me. We need our Father, and we need each other. So pray for me, that I might understand these truths and live as a child for the sake of my other brothers and sisters in the midst of a dark and oppressive battle.