Child-like Faith

Faith means being sure of the things we hope for
and knowing that something is real
even if we do not see it.

Hebrews 11:1

I was teaching the children about faith this past Sunday and played a game with them to help illustrate the concept. Each child took a turn being blindfolded and I gave them a familiar object to identify by touch. This little boy's head did not adapt well to a silk scarf, but he easily identified the sock. Some objects were less familiar and more difficult to identify. The "seeing" children wanted to blurt out the answer before the blind folded child could figure it out. I assured them that there was nothing gross or scary to be handled in this game, but in life that is not always true.

Last night the Becka and I went to see Slumdog Millionaire. The hospital had received a block of tickets and staff were offered two free admissions each. The movie was excellent, but I cannot say all of it was "enjoyable". It tore at my heart to see how the children lived in the slums of India and I had to shut out some of the images which were depicted. It is illegal here to subject our animals to the treatment these children endured, but the human spirit is strong and hope for a better life was never lost. Jamal's faith in achieving a life "not seen" persevered. People in the audience cheered at the ending, which had to be good or the movie would have been very depressing indeed.



Lyncia is a beautiful young girl who has been in our Sunday School for two years now. Her family moved here from Sri Lanka when she was in grade 5. She is very smart, fluent in two languages, and her spelling and composition in English is far ahead of other children her age in the class. She and her sister are part of a loving family who have come to Canada to seek a better life for themselves and their children. They represent the many decent, hard working people from this part of the world who will work diligently to achieve their dreams.

It is sometimes easy to become complacent and bitter and lose faith in the future. People who have suffered and sacrificed greatly to seek a yet unseen goal are often the most persevering and hopeful people I have met.

Child-like faith is something we all need to nurture throughout our lives.