One evening my family went to see a Christian illusionist at a local church. It was a fantastic show with plenty of laughs and fun for the whole family.
Most of the kids sat up front on the floor so they could see the show without hindrances. Near the end of the performance, the illusionist offered an invitation to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. He asked everyone in the room to close their eyes, bow their heads, and pray in their hearts the words that he spoke.
At the end of the prayer (while everyone’s eyes were still closed), the illusionist asked all those who had accepted Jesus for the first time to raise their hands. He then verbally acknowledged that several hands had gone up.
Upon asking the audience to open their eyes, he said,
I know this is going to be difficult for some of you and will take a lot of courage; but in a moment, I’m going to count to three. When I do, I would like to ask everyone who raised their hands to please stand up and make your declaration publicly known to this congregation. We would like to pray for you and give you an opportunity to speak with someone about your decision today. We have people waiting in the other room; ready to help you understand what this commitment means and help you grow in your newfound faith and relationship with God.
He spent a few minutes talking about the importance of making a public declaration when we accept Christ into our lives and expressed how we shouldn’t be ashamed to share the decision we’ve made with others.
Recognizing how much courage it would take to do such a thing, I wondered how many would actually stand up. The tension could be felt in the room as the illusionist began to count… one… two… three.
When he got to number three, I was blown away. Eighty percent of the kids who sat up front eagerly stood. Gradually, a few adults came to their feet as well.
What an encouragement these young people were. In total abandonment they made their decision known to everyone in the room. Afterwards, the following passage came to my mind:
“…Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’” (Luke 18:16)
I wondered, would I have been as bold as these young people?
God used this experience as a wakeup call for me. It was a vivid reminder that I need to be more childlike in my faith. We all are called to demonstrate this kind of simple faith—faith that totally trusts, has no doubts, and surrenders in complete abandonment to Jesus Christ—just like a child.
“Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:17)
Lord, help me to not care so much about what others think of me; but rather to be only concerned with what you think of me. Help me to have simple yet bold faith, just like those children.
“Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)
