Faith As A Little Child.

Having faith "as a little child" is hard. What does that even really mean?

Well, honestly, I can't give you a clear-cut answer. But I know what I truly believe it is. Child-like faith is not simply blind obedience. We can ask questions, we can seek to know the truth individually. But child-like faith is much more than that. 

Think of what children (in the purest sense) are like.

Children ask questions sincerely; they do not try to confuse or "trap" others.

Children are honest (with themselves and others). 

Children are teachable.

Children are always seeking new knowledge.

Children are not prideful, and do not try to seem better than others.

Children admire those that are wiser.

Children take new information from trusted sources as truth.

All of these qualities should be what we seek for. Today, though, I'd like to focus on the last one. 

If your child asked you how the lights work, you might answer, "When you flick the switch upward, the lights come on, and downward turns them off." Many children would be quite pleased with this answer. Some might probe a little further and ask, "How does the light get there?" To which you might respond, "Well, we pay the electric company and we have wires in our house that make the lights go on and off." At this point, most children would be impressed and move on.

As children grow older, however, they start to ask more and more questions. They have to know exactly how it all works.

But we don't always need to know exactly how everything works. Our Heavenly Father loves us and blesses us with knowledge, but it is unnecessary to venture beyond what He offers to us, just as it is unnecessary (and often un-thought of) for children to know beyond what parents have to offer.

This is not to say that Heavenly Father has a limited knowledge-base as parents often do, because we know that He knows everything. But, in knowing everything, He also knows what we don't need to know. He knows what we need to just take on faith.

Asking questions is a good thing, and can bring about wonderful things (*cough* Joseph Smith). But there is a point where we need to just have faith that things will work out and that He will live up to His promises.

If you find yourself constantly asking questions and feeling like the answers are limited, or even non-existent, maybe consider the idea that you don't need to know the answer now. 

I know it sounds harsh and even a little weird to consider that there is knowledge out there that the world doesn't possess, but I know that Heavenly Father is full of infinite wisdom and understanding, and sometimes we just need to take information on faith, as a little child would.

He loves us. He knows us. He even knows the answers to our questions. Trust Him and know that He has your best interest in mind and that He will give you answers as you need them.

Partially related to this post is this great video. The song has a great message, and the missionaries lip-syncing it makes it that much better to watch. Enjoy!

Happy Monday.