FAITH is firmly grounded in a transformed life, underpinned by personal experience and everyone’s personal experience is valid, adult or child. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, for example, after enduring wrongful, extremely debilitating imprisonment for many years, eventually came to realise that: “Each person must face for themselves the anguish of a world without God and in the solitude of their own heart give themselves to God in faith.”

Jesus emphasised the importance of a child like faith. (Mark 10: 13-16; Luke 18: 15-17). A thousand years before his own ministry and as of course, he would have known perfectly well, it was also written in the book of Psalms:

“Through the praise of children and infants, you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” Psalm 8:2

A childlike faith could be at the very heart of what we do and what we strive for in the Christian life. This is not about innocence but rather dependence. It is because children are dependent, they have faith that they will be cared for by parents. Throughout our adult lives, we know that we can continue to depend on the Spirit of God and allow that empowerment to fill us.

At whatever crucial point in our lives that we eventually come to realise it, whatever seems to be missing, whatever spaces there may be in our lives, there is no doubt that faith in God can fill all of those spaces, if we would truly know peace.

Graham Phoenix, Ministry Team, Kendal Unitarian Chapel