Faith is Proven

Children’s faith is proven by their simple understanding of how they relate to others and their actions; which is how we as adults do it as well. What is faith? How do we know if a child has it, or how do we know it is real? These are questions that we are called to help them in their walk with Jesus. Faith is an intangible gift from God. You can’t see it or feel or smell it or touch it, but it is real. Faith is proven not by our feelings but by our way of walking, trusting God for each new step along a path He has ordered in eternity past. It is, as James said, proven by our works. Paul says we prove it by presenting our bodies as a sacrifice—alive, holy, and pleasing to God. Those seem abstract to children but we can make it come to real life through how we teach and model it before others. Is our love pure and without hypocrisy? Are we teaching and modeling this gift? Love is the highest and greatest gift to God and mankind. That is the real test of faith.

We may have children who seem weak in their faith. How then do we engage them and encourage them? We do it by not judging them for their walk but assisting them practically. We “who are strong [in our faith] ought to bear with the failings of the weak, and not just please ourselves.” [Rom 15:1 author addition] We teach it through the stories Jesus has left us in the gospels. We teach it by modeling to others what real faith is by our works and our acceptance of others.

Remember our faith doesn’t look inwardly but outwardly in the demonstration of our faith to others.