Faith Like A Child

“Hey, did you see the trampoline on the shed?” the 11 year old asks. And with wide eyed amazement, the 3-year-old says, “Yeah, who put it there?” When dad explains that God put it there with the storm last night, to our wonder, we didn’t get the typical toddler question to everything (“why?” in case you’ve never been around toddlers). Instead, he simply gave a satisfied “Oh” and moved on.

I wish I could have the faith and trust of a child. As the worst outbreak of tornadoes in at least 40 years ripped through the Ozarks late Monday and into Tuesday, dad was anything but calm and trusting. Normally, I do fairly well with storms, but this one scared me. Especially when the straight line winds hit the house with a fury that shook everything as we grabbed the kids and headed for the basement (thank God we had one of those).

We escaped with only minor damage to the house, and of course the trampoline relocation, but not everyone fared as well. One woman within a few miles of our home lost her life. Many others, including two of our church families, lost their homes.

Please don’t hear me making light of all this. I hate those trite answers as much as anyone. But the final answer in all this is the same one I gave our youngest, and that is God is still on the throne, still in charge, and in His providence has spared us and challenged the faith of others. I don’t understand how or why these things happen as they do. And my frequent lack of faith has me quaking in my sneakers until it’s all over.

I just wish I had that childlike faith. To know that God is in charge and be satisfied. People pray for the patience of Job, but I’d much rather have his faith, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15).

Please pray for us here in the Ozarks as we pick up from these storms, and pray for this faithless father, that I might example stronger faith to my children instead of the other way around.