Faith Through the Eyes of a Child: What God Looks Like

Last year in December, my son got baptized. He had started asking questions, first about getting baptized, and also some faith-related questions.

We’ve always been very open in our home talking about our faith, so this was not unusual, really, but we could tell that he was beginning to seek answers for himself instead of just taking in everything we teach or say at home and that he hears at church. So we took him to talk to the children’s pastor at our church, who talked with him for a while and felt like he was close to making a personal decision to follow Jesus.

We began praying and continued talking to him about what we believe and explaining to him about God’s plan of salvation for us. It was just a few weeks, really, and then one day just after or towards the end of our home schooling time, he said he was ready to pray to trust his life to Jesus. I had the honor and privilege of helping him pray and ask Jesus to be his personal Savior and Lord. It was an amazing experience!

He has struggled off and on with being scared at night and feeling alone, even though for now he and his sister share a room. During the first year and few months of his life, he was with lots of other children all day, every day. So it was a big adjustment when we brought him home (through adoption) to transition to sleeping in his room alone before his sister was born.

We have always tried to encourage him to know that God is always with him. We told him the Bible tells us we are never alone and He is with us no matter where we are. We told him anytime he felt scared or lonely, he could pray to God and ask him to help him feel better.

One morning on the way to school during his kindergarten year before we started home schooling, he told me about a dream he had the night before.

He said that God spoke to him in the dream and told him not to be afraid and that He was with him.

I thought this was really neat, although, in adult-doubting-everything-children-say-is-true fashion, I wondered if he might be using his big imagination a little.

Well, not long before he started asking questions and making a personal faith decision, it happened again. So now I’m thinking, okay, this is twice now. There must be something to it.

All of a sudden, I thought to ask him this question: What did God look like in his dream? I was totally expecting him to start giving me a physical description of some sort. But I was totally unprepared for and blown away by his response:

Perfect.

What does perfect look like? Wow. I could not have thought of a better description if I tried … the Bible tells us that God, in fact, is perfect! He is holy …. sinless! But that he looks perfect? I’m getting emotional now even sharing this story because, doubt if you will, but I believe with all of my heart that, in fact, God did come to my son in a dream and comfort him.

A couple of Bible verses that come to mind:

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

“In the last days,” God says, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17

Was this possibly a type of “vision” spoken of here in reference to “the last days”, resulting from God pouring out His Spirit? I know … the verse says the old men will dream dreams, and this was a dream, he said. But isn’t that sort of splitting hairs?

Many think we are in the last days. I know people have thought this since Jesus ascended into heaven, but truly there are more signs now than there ever have been that we could be in the last days!

All I know is I am thankful that at the age of 7, my son has such a special relationship already with his God.

What about you?

What kinds of lessons have your children taught you?