We have been sorting papers at my dad’s house this week, and we ran across a stash of cards and letters. Some were from relatives long gone, and it was fun to see their handwriting. (I love to see cursive handwriting done well!)
I remember these people as great towering folks who patted me on the head, or gave me a little cup of nuts and candy, topped with a bright decoration.
But then I ran across a note from a child.
“Dear Mommy and Daddy,” the note read. “I love you Mommy and Daddy. I will give you all of my money. And I will give you my dog.” It was unsigned.
I thought about what a child has to offer, and that’s about it. Allowance and a pet. That promissory note granted all that child had that he or she deemed of value to an adult. It might as well have said, “I love you with everything I have, without reserve.”
When a man falls head-over-heels in love, he might overspend; but he doesn’t hand over the debit card. He doesn’t give his pet away. No lover loves as deeply as a little child.
A lot was implied in that short note:
“I love you more than I love myself.”
“I will show my love by self-sacrifice.”
“I am not planning on being betrayed.”
“I am more in love with you than I am in fear of the future.”
Experience teaches us to be cautious, and to hold a little back. Even when we feel overwhelming love for someone, we temper those feelings with doubt. We might water the passion down by asking ourselves questions:
“What if that person isn’t worthy of my love?” or “Is this love misplaced? Would I be better served if I loved someone else?”
“What if they don’t really love me like I love them?” or “Will they love me back the same way?”
“What if they betray me? After all, others have.”
“This is dangerous territory; maybe I’d better wait to express my feelings, and see if this is real.”
We feel justified in asking these love-destroying questions. We tell ourselves that this is wisdom, but deep down, we know that these attitudes tamp down love the way closing the flue on a wood stove reduces the strength of the fire.
God is the most experienced being that exists, yet His knowledge of what could go wrong doesn’t hold Him back. He has loved us with an “everlasting love.” He loved the world so much that he sent His only begotten son, Jesus Christ, to live as a man on this earth. God sent us “the express image of his person” (Hebrews 1:3) in order to show us his love. He has done everything possible, with incredible patience, to prove to us that He is who He says He is.
“Put your hand in the wound in my side, Thomas.” Jesus spoke this to his doubting disciple, who had trouble believing he rose from the dead. He was standing right in front of him, still displaying the wounds of the cross. Satisfy your curiosity. I will even let you feel inside the painful wound that killed me–my broken heart. It’s me.
In response, Thomas confessed his belief, “My Lord and my God.” And Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed.”
That’s us.
Doubt is something each one of us faces. This physical world: The seas, the forests, the incredible skyscape available both day and night, and the living things, the plants and the animals; all of the things God that has made leads us directly toward God. He reveals Himself in His creation so that we cannot possibly miss Him.
But the fallen things of man tend to lead us away from God, even going so far as to deny the evidence in front of our own eyes. The blue light steals our vision physically as well as spiritually. It is wise to limit your exposure.
But God knows how hard it is for us to find the will to believe. Jesus even wondered if, when He comes back, He will find anyone on the whole earth who believes in Him. (Luke 18:8)
He knew that we would destroy the spark of our own belief with questions: “Is He worthy of my love? Will He love me back like I love Him? Will He betray me? And the worst one of all: “Is this even real?”
If we have the will to see through our own inner darkness to diligently search for His light, we will find it. And while that glorious light shows us the real truth about ourselves, it’s only the first step. God stands ready to heal our wounds, no matter how severe they are. He can even heal religious wounds, wounds received from those who claim to know Him, but whom He does not know.
” . . .with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26) He made us, and He knows how to fix us.
“Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
God will patiently answer our questions, because as long as we are seriously searching, we are on the path to Him. It is not His will that any would be lost. And so He encourages us to come to Him with the faith of a child.
“And you shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)
“Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock and the door will be opened unto you. For every one that asks, receives; and he that seeks, finds, and to him that knocks, it shall be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)
“But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven’.” (Matthew 19:14)
We have to respond to Him when He calls to us. If we open ourselves up to God, He promises He will be there for us. Even in our blindness, when we feel through the dark for Him, He will be there at our fingertips. We have to believe in order to see.
These thoughts aren’t just for those who question belief in God; it’s for everyone, every day. For we all struggle spiritually, and we continually take back what we have given God. We put trust in the wrong things, such as ourselves or other earthly authorities, and we may even feel it’s the wise thing to do when we do it. But we are deceived, daily.
“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of man who shall be made as grass? And you forget the Lord your maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth; you have feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he has prepared to destroy.
And where is the fury of the oppressor?” (Isaiah 51:12-13)
Daily, we are bullied into unbelief. But it’s a dirty trick; fear is a liar. Fear of man, fear of ridicule, fear of not having what we need, and even fear of death. Nothing that we are afraid of is substantial; fear is just a shadow that disappears in the light. He is God and there is no one else.
“I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no other God beside me: I girded you, though you have not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is none else.” (Isaiah 45:5-6)
It helps to remind ourselves of what we have already believed. Write it on the walls of your house. Open His blessed book, the Word of God, and read it. Go outside and feel the warmth of His sun on your face, and marvel at the joy of His Creation.
Let yourself be warmed by the fire of His love. Love Him back without questions or reserve. He longs to give you peace, and fill you with joy, and all you have to do is to sincerely seek Him, and you will know. God longs to set you free.
Love Him, love Him, love Him like a little child!
The Fullers Four 