The following is an excerpt from the introduction to The Daily Grace Co.’s newest book, Uncomplicated | Simple Faith in a Complicated World.

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What does it mean to live the Christian life?

As Christ followers, this is one of the most important questions we must consider. Yet when you think deeply about this question, you may find yourself struggling to pinpoint an answer. I did when the question was posed one day during a product brainstorming meeting at work.

Admittedly, at first, the answer seemed simple. Well, I thought, the Christian life is to follow Christ. Praying, reading your Bible, living in biblical community, and seeking to glorify God in all you do. While this is all true, the more I thought about it, the more I felt that my answer was only skimming the surface. We see these behaviors in other Christians, and they are certainly things we should practice, but what is going on at the heart level? As I pondered this question, I began to wonder whether I really understood the Christian life. I wondered if I truly understood the “why” behind so many of my actions or the deeply rooted faith that has taken hold in my soul and sustains me, no matter the season I am in.

Thus, I began a quest.

It wasn’t a long quest. But over the following week, I read, prayed, journaled, and asked, Lord, what does it truly mean to follow You? And I came to an answer in an unlikely place.

My youngest son, Hudson, who was just ten years old at the time, had taken up an interest in baseball. The field where he practiced was in the center of a historic area of town, which featured a lovely juicery, clothing stores, a French restaurant, and an old pub called the Lantern. Forever one to romanticize the stories of C. S. Lewis, Owen Barfield, Charles Williams, and J. R. R. Tolkien gathering in “the Bird and Baby” pub (as Lewis liked to call it) to discuss literature and argue about theology, I decided that, likewise, the perfect place to contemplate a question like What does it look like to live the Christian life? was indeed the Lantern.

So after dropping my son off at the field, I walked over to the pub holding a book bag stuffed to the brim with My Utmost for His Highest, The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life, my Bible, and a journal. I ordered a drink and began flipping through my books, hoping that something would catch my eye. As I flipped through Oswald Chambers’s classic devotional, I came across these sentences: “The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next.”

I have been reading My Utmost for His Highest as my daily devotional since I was a junior in college. Therefore, I knew that I had read these words at least a dozen times before. But this time, something was different. I read the words over again, “The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next.” I looked up from my devotional, and I stared out the pub’s windows for a moment, allowing the words to sink in deeply. I then grabbed my Bible and flipped to Luke 18. My eyes skimmed the page until I found what I was looking for. It was one of my favorite Bible stories: Jesus blessing the children.

People were bringing infants to him so that he might touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. Jesus, however, invited them: “Let the little children come to me, and don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it” (Luke 18:15–17).

I read the story over a few times until I felt as though I had chewed on it, the way someone chews on a piece of red meat. The words traveled from my eyes to my brain to someplace deep inside of my soul, and my eyes began to well for an unexpected reason.

Life had become complicated. Like most adults, I was facing decisions, like where to send my kids to school, whether to accept new job opportunities, and how to replenish our savings account after an unexpected house project. I felt like the world was on my shoulders. My life and decision-making did not seem to reflect someone sure of God, and I wondered whether I really knew what it meant to “receive the kingdom of God like a little child.”

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Faith Like a Child

Maybe you are experiencing this, too. When you first came to Christ, it may have felt like all your problems were solved, and you basked in the newness of knowing Him. But as time has gone on, the pressure of life has weighed you down, and you can barely remember the joy you felt when you first became a Christian. Now life feels complicated, and you wonder whether it will ever feel different. Childlike faith may sound wonderful, but you also wonder how life could ever slow down enough for you to experience it.

Thankfully, Jesus’s answer to all of this is simple. He doesn’t tell us to work harder, volunteer more, or follow some ten-step plan. Instead, He simply invites us to become like little children, right where we are. All He asks of us is that we humble ourselves and begin to trust Him.

So what does childlike faith look like in a complicated world? Uncomplicated is an invitation to find out. Through Scripture, stories, and trusted voices like C. S. Lewis and Oswald Chambers, you’ll discover the joy and freedom that come from receiving the kingdom like a little child. Uncomplicated | Simple Faith in a Complicated World is available now!

If you liked this article, check out the related resources linked below!

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Author Bio

Jennie Heideman is the Editorial Director at The Daily Grace Co.® She resides in Spokane, Washington, with her husband, two boys, and an Australian Labradoodle. True to the Washingtonian stereotype, she loves coffee, reading, and day hikes.

Related Resources:

Uncomplicated | Simple Faith in a Complicated World		Abide Bible Study		The Pursuit of God		Made for Him | Rest Bible Study
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