first off i’d like to apologize for not writing for just a bit. i have a lot of stories to tell, sometimes it’s just hard for me to put them into words. i also like to write for fun and don’t ever want to take the joy out of writing blogs and storytelling. but this story i’m excited to share!
wednesday nights my team and i get the privilege of teaching a bible study for the kids at ‘restaurando a la familia.’ the night always starts with worship. worship here in guatemala is next level, and each day it is different for me. sometimes i just need some alone time with the father and worship by journaling my thoughts. other times i sing praises to his name, lifting my hands, and swaying back and forth. and sometimes i’m in a squished coffee bar jumping up and down, while screaming the songs, with so much energy it leaves me catching my breath. this nights worship was all in spanish, so it left me a lot of time to just converse with the Father. praising him with prayer, while jumping in with the few words i knew.
while worshipping, my eyes just set focus on one of the little girls that is in our bible study, and i invited her to come over and stand next to me. her little hand locked with mine, and we started to sway together. i continued in my prayer, and occasional singing, but all the sudden looked down in her direction and just watched her worship. and once i started to watch, i couldn’t stop. standing beside me this little girl sang, with one hand stretched out to the heavens, and the other still locked in mine squeezing tightly. her eyes closed. singing loud enough that her praises could be heard from the same place her hand pointed to. and at this moment i had a new understanding.
matthew 18:3 says “truly, i say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter in the kingdom of heaven.” & mark 10:15 states “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” it all made sense. i knew why Jesus himself called us to have such child like faith. this child standing next to me showed exactly what it meant. and i’m going to share it with you too.
at the root of child like faith sits complete trust. trusting the goodness, care, and provision of the father. standing in complete surrender, her hand lifted up, it reminded me the little fear a child often has. when i stand praising the father often times i get wrapped up in the way i look while doing it. thinking ‘i can’t dance, so i shouldn’t be doing it’ or ‘i just really don’t want to look stupid right now.’ but what a reminder! the father doesn’t care what i look like when i worship, he just wants my praise! in fact he gives me the honor of dancing for him, and looking silly. because it’s bringing praises to His name.
in this moment the Father just reminded me through a child how simple faith really is. lately i have been focusing on living in the identity of his child, his daughter, and this moment just fits in perfectly. so;; thanks God for calling us all to love and live like children. not in the sense of acting childish, but rather trusting and loving despite any fear or uncertainty.
much love,
ana
