Playdates

 What does it mean to have childlike faith? Many people think even to believe in a God you can not see is childlike, but it is deeper than that.

If you look up the definition of childlike, you will be met with a variety of synonyms, including innocent, trusting, unsuspicious, unguarded, etc. I guess that’s why the older we get, the harder it is to keep looking at God with this child’s eye. We are taught to be more serious, not give our trust so easily, build walls, and stay guarded. After years of dealing with people this way, we can view God this way, even if it’s unintentional. 

Re-learning how to be childlike is a journey for sure. For me, it’s been an ongoing journey for the past five months. It all started back in November 2020. It was Thanksgiving, and I drove up to the local park to spend time with the Lord. I walked around and around until I found the most aesthetic table under the cutest tree. The cool autumn breeze flowed across my face as I set up my bible and journal with a perfect view of the rest of the wood. All that was missing after that was music, so I plugged in my headphones and turned on some soft worship. Everything was perfect and set, so surely I would hear from the Lord. 

I flipped open my Bible and studied my way through the chapter of the day. I didn’t get anything, so I studied through it again. Nothing. I was so confused. Everything was set, I was studying the word like I always had done. Why wasn’t I hearing anything? I looked up in frustration and saw a swingset. The Lord spoke and said, “Go swing.” Although I had just set up the perfect quiet time, I packed everything up and set out for the swing set. 

As I sat and dangled my feet from the swing, I felt a little foolish. I was a 22-year-old woman playing. “I’m not here to be studied. I’m here to spend time with my daughter.” He spoke to me so clearly. I became so overwhelmed with joy I couldn’t help but swing and talk to Him. I couldn’t believe it, just moments before I had the “perfect” set up and didn’t hear a thing. Now here I was as an adult playing with God, and I heard him more clearly than I had in months. 

God takes a lot of things seriously, His word, His love for us, His time with us, etc. But that doesn’t mean He doesn’t want to have fun with us. He loves playing with us, like sitting on swings with us. He loves showing us things for fun, like gazing at sunsets and stars with us. It’s one thing to study His word, it’s another to think that’s the only way to spend time with Him or hear from Him. 

He also likes to imagine with us. Here in Costa Rica, our local ministry sends a man to do devotionals with us every morning. He is a war veteran, so I took him as a serious guy until he told us our devo for the day would be using our imagination. Ephesians 6:10-20 talks about the whole armor of God. That morning we were to pray through each item of the armor of God and ask Him to show us what each of those items looks to us personally. Here I was as a 22-year-old woman using my imagination. 

We went through each piece of the armor, pausing at each. It wasn’t until we reached the sword of the spirit that I got a vivid picture in my mind of what it looks like to me. Most people saw intricate swords or weapons of some kind, but me, I got brass knuckles. I laughed at this picture and asked God why. He said, “You have to be up close and personal with the enemy in order to land a hit on him. You can’t fire at a distance. There’s no room for anything but boldness. They enhance the power you already have. I’ve given you power. I’ve given you authority. Use it!”

When was the last time you played with God, dear reader? When was the last time you imagined with him and let him show you things to fill you with awe and wonder? Right here, at the end of this blog, spend five minutes imagining with him, dreaming with him, being goofy with him. I promise he will show you and tell you things you’ll carry with you for the rest of your day, if not the rest of your life.